New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been left "really optimistic" ahead of the new season following the 2023 Draft in April.
Despite not addressing any of their skill position needs in the first five rounds of the NFL Draft, the Pats were able to trade down to 17th in the first round and land highly-rated Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez before taking Georgia Tech edge rusher Keion White – a player tipped to go in the first round by some analysts – in the second.
New England stocked up on the offensive line in the mid rounds as well as selecting a kicker, Chad Ryland, in the fourth round, before nabbing a couple of late-round receivers and corners.
The Pats have struggled to make the most of their top picks in recent drafts, with the likes of N'Keal Harry, Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel no longer on the roster, but Kraft believes the roster is better placed to compete in 2023 after a disappointing 8-9 season in which they missed out on the playoffs.
"At the end of draft day, Jonathan (Kraft's son) and I were chatting, and I said, 'This was a great, great draft. I'm really optimistic about the team'," Kraft told NFL Network.
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"And he said, 'You say that every year!' But I really believe it. We were able to get the top seven picks that we had identified before the draft. I think it gives us a good balance of what our needs are. I think our free agent pickups and getting Bill O'Brien in will make a big difference."
Kraft's optimism heading into the summer is another indication of the pressure on head coach Bill Belichick to deliver better results in the year ahead.
At the end of an underwhelming 2022 campaign that was marred by a lack of dynamism on offense and a major regression by young quarterback Mac Jones, Kraft sent a letter to all Gillette Stadium season ticket holders assuring them 'No one is satisfied' by the outcome.
Bill Belichick is under pressure to deliver in New England after three mediocre seasons. (Adrian Kraus/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Coupled with reports of friction between the owner and the head coach, which was exacerbated by the coaching situation in Foxborough last season that saw defensive minds Matt Patricia and Joe Judge trusted by Belichick to run the offense.
Former Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien has returned to the organisation as offensive coordinator, with Boston Globe writer Ben Volin suggesting the decision was pushed through by the owner.
Belichick, of course, still has plenty of credit in the bank despite three disappointing seasons since the Tom Brady-led dynasty ended when he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Yet while the head coach remains trusted to lead the Pats into a new era, there is a sense of raised expectations from above this season and any discord between the football operation and the ownership will only increase if results do not improve.
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