The New England Patriots still have one preseason game remaining, but Jerod Mayo and company have put training camp in the rearview as they try to mimic a regular-season schedule before their preseason finale.
With that, it felt right to reflect on the summer with a final training camp edition of studs and duds. There were some who stood out for the right and wrong reasons, and others who were somewhere right in the middle -- perhaps indicative of New England's middling roster.
Anyway, away we go:
STUDS
David Andrews, C
There might not be a more glaring degree of separation than the one Andrews holds over others at the center position. It was portrayed not only because how Andrews stood up when he was on the field with the starting offense, but also because of how his backups measured up when he missed practice or when they took over on depth units. The Patriots do not have a clear backup center -- it probably will be Nick Leverett -- and thus will heavily rely on Andrews when the regular season starts.
Keion White, DE
Mayo set high expectations before training camp when he labeled White as the second-year player who has impressed him most. White lived up to the hype this summer, constantly included on our studs list. He emerged as New England's best defensive linemen with Christian Barmore (blood clots) and Matthew Judon (trade) no longer in the fold. White's versatile skillset gives him the opportunity to rush from the interior and off the edge, though his preference is to create mismatches on the interior. Regardless of where he plays, it looks like the 2023 second-round pick will play a key role on New England's defensive front.
Drake Maye, QB
If you asked us two weeks ago, Maye might not be on this list. But it's clear the third overall pick taking the coaching and showing encouraging signs. Mayo opened the door on the quarterback competition after it felt like it was closed largely because of what Maye showed in the final week-plus, including his performance against the Philadelphia Eagles. Maye was a Training Camp All-Pro during 7-on-7s, and while we're not trying to say that's the perfect indication of professional football, it does show his ability and timing without the threat of a pass rush. Given how New England's second-string offense line routinely looked in front of him, it's fair to take something away from those periods.
DeMario Douglas, WR
The Patriots offense looked different when Douglas did not participate in competitive drills. When the shifty slot man returned, it was clear he changed the game for quarterbacks like Jacoby Brissett and Maye. Maye joked this summer how Douglas could get lost in a phone booth, and there were short and intermediate routes during competitive periods when it certaintly looked that way.
Ja'Lynn Polk, WR
Polk should start for the Patriots, especially if Kendrick Bourne starts the season on the physically unable to perform list. The second-round pick emerged as New England's second-best receiver behind only Douglas. He's made highlight-reel plays like fellow rookie Javon Baker, but also has stacked days with his consistency. Polk appears stronger at the catch point than his 6-foot-1, 203-pound frame might indicate and showed his shiftiness on a short catch-and-run against the Eagles.
Honorable mentions: Mike Onwenu, OL; Austin Hooper, TE
DUDS
Eliot Wolf, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel
Wolf and the Patriots expressed confidence Chukwuma Okorafor and Caedan Wallace would each see considerable time at left tackle during the summer. Okorafor played on the left side during each of the first two non-padded practices and then did not return as the starting left tackle for the rest of training camp. Wallace repped as the starting left tackle for four days at the start of the camp and then took snaps with the first- and second-stringers on both the left and right side. Mike Onwenu, who Wolf called the best tackle in free agency, barely played right tackle this summer and instead served as the starting right guard. Wolf doubled down with his confidence this week, but his sentiments felt disingenuous at best or delusional at worst. It feels like the Patriots did not do enough this offseason to build offensive line depth, as indicated by Mayo, who didn't feel confident playing Maye behind the second-stringers.
Javon Baker, WR
Baker did make a few highlight-reel grabs during training camp, but really struggled with his consistency. The fourth-round rookie took a step back in New England's second preseason game against Philadelphia when he dropped a dime from Maye and was bullied out of bounds by an Eagles cornerback. Baker struggled with drops during his collegiate career, as well. It also seems like Baker isn't always in the right spot for the offense. New England surely is hoping those things will change with time.
Atonio Mafi, OL
Admittedly, there are multiple offensive linemen -- Vederian Lowe, Okorafor, just about second and third-stringers -- who could find themselves in this category, but we're going to single out Mafi. Mafi entered training camp in the mix to win a roster spot on the interior, but now looks like a longshot. It's clear New England's experiment of moving Mafi from guard to center did not pan out. He struggled mightily when he was inserted as a backup center, frequently botching snaps to whichever quarterback he was working with.
Marcellas Dial Jr.
The sixth-round rookie, New England's only draft pick on defense, was picked on in the secondary. It was the case late in the preseason game against the Eagles, and Dial frequently got beat by depth wideouts in training camp practices. While youth likely will win out in a deadlocked head-to-head battle, Dial is no sure thing to make the initial roster with New England's cornerback room being among the deepest groups on the tem.
Bailey Zappe, QB
Zappe felt like a sacrificial lamb in New England's preseason opener, a game he played more snaps than any other quarterback. Zappe, however, saw his practice reps dwindle as training camp played out. He was consistently behind New England's second- and third-string offensive lines and competed with depth pass-catchers who almost certainly won't make the roster. The writing has been on the wall for Zappe since the NFL draft, and it feels like both parties would be better off going separate ways.
Honorable mentions: Christian Gonzalez, CB; Chad Ryland, K
