The 2023-24 NFL regular season has been one to forget for the New England Patriots, who are limping their way through the franchise’s worst season in decades.
The Pats’ miserable win percentage (.214) is the lowest seen in Foxborough since New England went 2-14 (.125) in 1992. Since going 5-11 in 2000, New England has posted three losing seasons — those being 2020’s 7-9 finish, last year’s 8-9 campaign and, of course, the 3-11 run Bill Belichick and company are undergoing currently.
Luckily for Pats’ fans and the team’s backers on Massachusetts betting apps, New England has done fairly well in their past half-dozen losing seasons, draft wise. The Patriots landed a Hall of Fame defensive end (Richard Seymour in the 2001 NFL Draft) and a host of franchise players.
Ahead of the final weeks of the NFL regular season, BetMassachusetts.com broke down the numbers to see how New England fared in the draft during the rare lost seasons since the early 1990s.
1st Round Picks Last Six Losing Seasons
- 2022 (8-9): DB Christian Gonzalez (0 wAV in 4 games)
- 2020 (7-9): QB Mac Jones (22 wAV in 42 games)
- 2000 (5-11): DE Richard Seymour (91 wAV in 164 games)
- 1995 (6-10): WR Terry Glenn (67 wAV in 137 games)
- 1993 (5-11): LB Willie McGinest (76 wAV in 212 games)
- 1992 (2-14): QB Drew Bledsoe (105 wAV in 194 games)
- Average: 60.2 Weighted Career Approximate Value via Pro-Football-Reference.com (361 total wAV)
ESPN BET Massachusetts lists San Francisco as the Super Bowl favorite at +225. Baltimore is second at +550.
What Can Pats Fans Expect This Draft Cycle?
Right now, New England is in position to have the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, with the top selection going to Chicago, thanks to its trade with 2-12 Carolina last year.
That means the Pats’ could be in position to draft a generational talent, such as North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye or Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. Massachusetts sports betting sites have yet to post draft odds.
Most NFL mock drafts have the Bears taking 2022 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams of USC with the top pick. Tankathon.com and PFF expect New England to land Maye, which would certainly fit the franchise’s past strategy at the position.
In the past six losing season in New England, the club has gone on to use its first round pick the following year on a quarterback twice, landing franchise cornerstone Drew Bledsoe in 1993 and Mac Jones in the 2021. Bledsoe posted a 105 wAV in 194 NFL games, while Jones has been benched off and on in a tumultuous three-year run.
New England continues its season Saturday against Denver. Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts has the Patriots as a 6-point underdog with a moneyline of -267.
