Patriots roster projection: What would team look like with Hopkins?

With Patriots minicamp in the books, feels like a good time to reassess the depth charts across positions. Which spot looks set? Which spot could use a little tweaking around the edges? How would things look if, for example, a big-name free agent suddenly lands in Foxboro?

Here's our best guess at how the 53-man roster will look when September rolls around.

Quarterback (2): Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe

We went in-depth on both players and their respective minicamp performances in our Stock Watch piece from earlier this week. But this is the pairing. Doesn't look like free-agent addition Trace McSorley or undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham are going to be factoring in here in September.

Running back (4): Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris

No changes here compared to our last 53-man projection. Even with the recent release of James Robinson. He was always a long shot to make the roster.

The question here would be this: Can Kevin Harris take on the Damien Harris role? It matters. He'd get real early-down work even with Rhamondre Stevenson available. And if Stevenson ever misses time, Harris would quickly become the go-to between-the-tackles choice. Wouldn't stun me if they're still on the lookout for capable depth here. 

Wide receiver (6): DeAndre Hopkins, DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas

Let's have some fun here and try to determine what the roster would look like if we include DeAndre Hopkins. Suddenly... this unit looks pretty deep. And the skill sets seem to mesh. Parker wouldn't be forced to match up with No. 1 corners. Safeties would have to choose whether to shade toward Hopkins or provide some insurance over the top of Thornton.  And in this projection, we even found a way to keep quick-as-a-whip slot Demario "Pop" Douglas as a developmental option.

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The one player who may get edged out of playing time with a Hopkins arrival could be Kendrick Bourne. Like Hopkins, Bourne is not necessarily a take-the-top-off-the-defense type of threat. But he both have the ability to work at all three levels. Both can align inside and out. We'll keep Bourne on the 53 in this scenario just to maintain the depth that it's clear the Patriots need here. But their skill sets might be a tad redundant.

Tight end (2): Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki

Anthony Firkser might be a nice third option to go with this duo, but he may be the kind of player the Patriots could release and keep around as a veteran on the practice squad. He had nine catches for the run-happy Falcons in 2022. Bill O'Brien could certainly use another capable body here if he's planning on leaning on 12 personnel sets this coming season.

Offensive line (8): Trent Brown, Cole Strange, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Riley Reiff, Calvin Anderson, Jake Andrews, Sidy Sow

All kinds of questions surrounding the tackle position, yes. But the group is the group. For now, at least. The Patriots almost have to just swallow hard and try to make it work with Trent Brown, who missed Day 1 of minicamp and couldn't practice on Day 2. Without him, they're perilously thin on high-end talent at a position that often requires high-end talent.

Rookie Jake Andrews looks like the interior do-it-all backup for this season. Sidy Sow has tackle-guard flexibility that would make him an attractive piece should he be released at the end of camp. Have to keep him on the roster if you don't want to lose him to another lineman-needy club.

Special teams (9): Chad Ryland, Bryce Baringer, Joe Cardona, Matthew Slater, Brenden Schooler, Chris Board, Cody Davis, Ameer Speed, Jourdan Heilig

Would Bill Belichick ever keep two kickers? Yup. He acknowledged as much when I asked him this week. So if Chad Ryland has problems with his accuracy in camp and/or preseason, don't rule out the Patriots keeping both Nick Folk (for field goals) and Ryland (kickoffs).

Belichick could also do what he did when Quinn Nordin was in the mix in 2021. Nordin made the initial 53-man roster and Folk was released. But it was Folk who was re-signed soon thereafter and Nordin was never heard from again after landing on injured reserve in mid-September of that year.

Sixth-round rookie out of Michigan State Ameer Speed and undrafted rookie out of Appalachian State Jourdan Heilig (pronounced HI-lig) look like potential core kicking-game pieces moving forward. Heilig has been attached to Mattew Slater's hip during practices throughout the spring. Usually a good sign.

DaMarcus Mitchell was one of the last players left off this projection. He'd be another core kicking-game option who established himself in that regard last year as a rookie.

Defensive line (5): Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise Jr., Christian Barmore, Carl Davis, Daniel Ekuale

Until Lawrence Guy -- who chose not to show up to mandatory minicamp -- is happy with his contract, we'll leave him off here. That could open an active-roster spot for Carl Davis (as a run-stuffer) or Daniel Ekuale (as an interior pass-rusher). The others here are locks. 

Outside linebacker (4): Matthew Judon, Anfernee Jennings, Josh Uche, Keion White

It's not the deepest group on the roster, but in terms of physical gifts it might be one of the most talented. Anfernee Jennings is more of an early-down edge-setter, but Matthew Judon, Josh Uche and Keion White all have eye-opening tools. If White can factor into the team's pass-rush plan as a rookie, Jerod Mayo and Steve Belichick will have some fun coming up with creative schemes to frustrate opposing quarterbacks.

Inside linebacker (4): Ja'Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai, Mack Wilson, Marte Mapu

Marte Mapu made plays consistently throughout the spring from both the safety and linebacker spots. But because the inside linebacker spot doesn't look quite as deep as the safety spot (more on that later), Mapu may end up seeing more time at the second level in his rookie year. Even if eventually he settles in as a hard-hitting safety.

Safety (4): Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jalen Mills, Jabrill Peppers

This unit is experienced. It's athletic. It's versatile. It's going to be one of the reasons why the Patriots defense is able to disguise its looks at an unusually-high clip come September.

Jabrill Peppers is another year removed from an ACL tear (2021) and Belichick seems to believe that he's due for a big role. When asked if he's seen Peppers grow in Year 2 in Foxboro, Belichick answered, "Oh yeah. Oh my God. Yeah. Totally. He's a much different player."

Cornerback (5): Christian Gonzalez, Jack Jones, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant

The roles here seem fairly clear-cut. Christian Gonzalez and Jack Jones look like the top outside-the-numbers options. Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones are the slots with the ability to shift outside if needed. Myles Bryant has slot-to-safety versatility.

Gonzalez sliding into the starting lineup and playing effectively on big-bodied wideouts immediately will be the key here. If that's what he can do in Year 1, the Patriots will have the piece they sorely needed last season.