Regrading the New England Patriots 2013 NFL Draft Class

NFL writers are asked to engage in many acts of futility. Predicting the New England Patriots' draft moves is one of the most meaningless, but grading the draft in the immediate aftermath is neck-and-neck with mock drafts in the pointless department. 

At that point, it's all subjective. One draft pundit may love a player and give the team a high grade; another may see faults in that same player and might also see others players the team could have targeted.

But once the dust has settled, a few years after the draft, we can finally get a clear picture of what took place in April three years earlier. It's through that lens that a draft haul should be viewed, but looking at it immediately afterward is like trying to look at an object two inches away through the Hubble Space Telescope. 

So, here's a more distant look at the Patriots' 2013 draft, with more context than anyone could have had three years ago. 

Round 2, Pick 52: Jamie Collins

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If I were to assign a grade to the Patriots' first-round trade with the Minnesota Vikings, I'd have to give it an A-plus as well. The Patriots picked up four picks: in the second, third, fourth and seventh rounds. With the second-round pick they acquired in that trade, they drafted linebacker Jamie Collins from Southern Mississippi. 

Collins immediately became a versatile force, lining up all over the field and carrying out every responsibility he was given. Whether it's blitzing the A-gap, engaging in man-to-man coverage or stuffing the run, Collins has performed at a high level.

He tallied four sacks in 2014 and 5.5 sacks in 2015, and according to Pro Football Focus, he rushed the passer only 176 times in the regular season. That means he logged a sack 5 percent of the time he rushed the passer. He allowed more passes over his head in 2015 than in years past (72.2 percent catch rate against in 2015, compared to a 64.3 percent career catch rate), but he doesn't allow big plays into his coverage (8.1 yards per catch average in 2015).

In the middle of the second round, the Patriots got a player who would probably have been drafted in the first round, if there was a redraft of the 2013 talent pool. 

Grade: A+

Round 2, Pick 59: Aaron Dobson

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

So much has happened with Aaron Dobson in his short career, so where to begin? Why not at the very beginning?

Dobson was the Patriots' second-round choice with their original selection, the 59th overall pick. His Patriots career got off to a rocky start; despite scoring a touchdown on his first NFL reception, Dobson dropped three passes on a rain-soaked night against the New York Jets. He began to pick up his play over the next month, and eight games into his rookie year, he had 31 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns.

He had a slow start picking up the Patriots offense, but his physical skills finally seemed to be matching up with his understanding of the system and his rapport-building with Tom Brady. Then, he got injured against the Carolina Panthers and caught eight passes for 98 yards in the two months of the season and playoffs.

Dobson's recovery was not smooth, though, and he missed major time during the 2014 spring practice program. Brandon LaFell eventually grabbed the X-receiver role that might have otherwise been Dobson's, and LaFell was effective in that role. But even last year, when LaFell was injured to start the season, Dobson couldn't grab the opportunity right in front of him and finished the year with just 13 catches for 141 yards.

Dobson is running the risk of becoming the latest in a long line of Patriots draft picks at receiver who failed to live up to their massive potential. 

Grade: D+

Round 3, Pick 83: Logan Ryan

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The Patriots already acquired an A-plus player off the back of their trade with the Vikings, but they weren't done reaping the benefit of acquiring additional picks. The next pick on the docket was the 83rd overall pick, where the Patriots added Rutgers cornerback Logan Ryan. 

At the time, the Patriots had assembled a deep group of cornerbacks that included Aqib Talib, Alfonzo Dennard and Kyle Arrington, so it was curious to wonder how Ryan would fit in. Three years later, he is the last man standing, thanks in large part to his versatility to play in both man and zone coverage. 

Ryan was almost immediately thrust into the starting lineup when injuries took a toll, and he was up to the challenge. He notched five interceptions, the most by any rookie in 2013, and allowed just 55.9 percent completions into his coverage on the season, according to Pro Football Focus. Since then, he has never allowed more than 60 percent completions in a season and has a total of 11 interceptions.

When the Patriots were primarily a man-to-man coverage unit in 2014, Ryan was up to the challenge. When they were a mix of man and zone in 2015, he was again up to the task. Three years of starting-caliber play is solid value for a mid-third-round selection. 

Grade: B+

Round 3, Pick 91: Duron Harmon

Steven Senne/Associated Press

It wouldn't be a Patriots draft if there wasn't at least one pick that made you go, "Who?" That was Rutgers safety Duron Harmon in 2013, but since entering the NFL, he has proved to be one of the team's best and most underrated players from the 2013 draft.

Harmon may not get the starts, but he has an important role on the team. In fact, he was the team's top defensive back to come onto the field in nickel packages, with 683 total snaps in 2015 (53.8 percent), according to Pro Football Focus. A vast majority of his snaps are in pass coverage—494 out of 683 in 2015 and 246 out of 321 in 2014.

Yet, despite all that time in coverage, Harmon has been targeted just eight times over the past two years combined and has allowed just three catches, one touchdown and five interceptions. By Harmon's own admission, he could improve in run defense with better tackling and angles; he missed five tackles in 2015 and five as a rookie. But his range in deep coverage makes up for it.

Patrick Chung gets the glory as the first safety on the field, but Harmon has a positive impact on the defense. 

Grade: B+

Round 4, Pick 102: Josh Boyce

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

The 2013 offseason was the year of massive changes in the passing game. The Patriots were trying to rebrand their offense, and one of the ways they did was by taking the volume approach at wide receiver.

At 5'11" and 206 pounds, TCU wide receiver Josh Boyce had a compact frame that made him an ideal candidate to catch passes over the middle and absorb big hits as a result. He also put up impressive numbers at the scouting combine that showed his change-of-direction ability (6.68-second three-cone drill) and long speed (4.38-second 40-yard dash) despite working with a broken toe. He also had the willingness to get physical as a run-blocker.

That being said, there were always concerns with Boyce's ability to transition to the Patriots offense. In TCU's offense, he didn't get experience with a diverse route tree that asked him to use the breadth of his skill set. 

Boyce dealt with injuries as a rookie and was ultimately cut prior to the 2015 season. Between him and Dobson, the Patriots' revolution at wide receiver has not gone as they had hoped.

Grade: D-

Round 7, Pick 226: Michael Buchanan

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Players who get drafted in the seventh round are among the unluckiest in the NFL—of course, the ultimate goal of all these prospects is to make it to the NFL, but where as a seventh-round pick must go where he is selected, an undrafted free agent can choose his landing spot.

Illinois defensive end Michael Buchanan came into the NFL with a lot of hype. He was highly productive as a junior with 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, but he took a step back as a senior with seven tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. The Patriots thought they could coach him to his potential, and at the very least, they would have added a dynamic sub-package edge-rusher.

For a brief period of time, Buchanan looked like he might play a role on defense. In the first four weeks of his rookie season, he played 70 out of 285 snaps (24.6 percent), according to Pro Football Focus. From there, though, his playing time dipped dramatically. 

Unfortunately, it didn't work out in the long run. Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich continued to carry the burden as the lone every-down defensive end options for the Patriots from 2013 to 2014, until finally Jabaal Sheard came along to provide some depth and rest.

Grade: C+

Round 7, Pick 235: Steve Beauharnais

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Not only did the Patriots have shaky linebacker depth headed into the 2013 offseason, but both Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes were hitting the final year of their respective contracts the following offseason.

That meant it was time to stock up on some depth at linebacker. The Patriots had already added Jamie Collins to the mix, and linebacker Steve Beauharnais became the second linebacker and third Rutgers prospect added during the 2013 draft.

As is usually expected of seventh-round picks, Beauharnais never made much of an impact. His primary role was special teams, where he logged two tackles. He didn't make it to a second year with the Patriots. 

Grade: D+

Overall

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Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan and Duron Harmon are hits. Aaron Dobson was a miss, though there's still a chance he could fight for a roster spot in 2016. 

Josh Boyce, Michael Buchanan and Steve Beauharnais were not long for the Patriots roster, but all three served a purpose in their short time in New England.

In short, the Patriots got some utility out of each of their picks. Some players didn't live up to their hype, while others exceeded their hype; with the Patriots' 2013 draft class, it was more of the latter than the former. 

Grade: A-