It’s no secret that fourth-year Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez is up for a contract extension. Gonzalez has been a great player throughout his time in New England and undoubtedly deserves a second contract.
However, when/if Gonzalez puts pen to paper, he will be the first Patriots first-round pick to sign a second contract with the team since Dont’a Hightower, who was drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft. So while we await the Gonzalez extension, why not take a trip down memory lane and rehash why no other first-round pick has re-signed since Hightower?
This “journey” begins in 2012, when the Patriots owned 2 first-round picks: pick 27 and pick 31. Following two trade-ups, the team selected the aforementioned Hightower and an edge rusher out of Syracuse by the name of Chandler Jones.
Unlike most of the players on this list, Jones was a hit, totaling 34 sacks in his four years with the Patriots and being an instrumental part of the 2014 Patriots championship team. Despite this, in an effort to save cap space, the Patriots traded Jones to the Cardinals in exchange for guard Jonathan Cooper and a 2016 second-round pick.
Due to a trade out with the Minnesota Vikings in 2013, the Patriots were left without a first-round pick, which will become a common theme on this list. However, in 2014, we got out first real bust in defensive tackle Dominique Easley. Easley battled injuries throughout his time in New England and started just 3 games in the two seasons he was with the team. His career flamed out after 2016, and following a brief 3-game stint with the Rams in 2018, his career was over.
After missing on a defensive lineman in the 2014 draft, the Patriots jumped right back into the pool, selecting Texas Longhorn Malcolm Brown with the final pick of the first round. Brown was nowhere near as big of a bust as Easley, but he never lived up to the first-round pick status. Brown had 8.5 sacks in his four years with New England and started nearly every game he played in. Unfortunately for Brown, he was not awarded a second contract despite having a solid career with the Patriots.
“Deflategate” and a Brandin Cooks trade took away the Patriots’ first-round picks in 2016 and 2017; however, in 2018, the team had two first-rounders to work with. With their first pick, the team took Isiah Wynn, an offensive tackle out of Georgia. After redshirting his freshman year, Wynn looked like an okay tackle in his second season, but as the years went on, Wynn’s play continued to regress.
Sony Michel, who was the second of the Patriots’ 2018 first-round picks, also didn’t have the greatest career, but will be remembered for much better things than Wynn. Michel was a key piece to the Patriots’ 2018 Super Bowl run, rushing for six touchdowns throughout the playoffs. Unfortunately, nagging knee injuries kept Michel from turning into anything special with the Patriots.
Probably the most infamous Patriots’ first-round bust was and still is Arizona State wide receiver N’Keal Harry. You can talk about all the better receivers, who the Patriots could/should have drafted, but that wouldn’t have mattered if N’Keal Harry was good at football. Unfortunately, when you can’t get open, it’s hard to be good at such things. Harry was traded to the Bears ahead of the 2022 season and never had a productive NFL season.
For the last time on this list, the Patriots traded out of the first round. This one coming during the Covid draft, when the team traded the 23rd pick in the draft to the Chargers in exchange for a second and third round draft choice.
The first and only quarterback to be selected in the first round of the Bill Belichick era came on night one of the 2021 NFL Draft. New England selected Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the 15th pick. Jones showed promise in his rookie season, but after Matt Patricia effectively broke him in 2022, he was never the same player again. He was traded to the Jaguars ahead of his fourth season.
Finally, in 2022, the Patriots one-upped themselves and selected Chattanooga guard Cole Strange with the 29th pick in the draft. We all have watched the video of Rams head coach, Sean McVay, essentially “clown” the Patriots for taking a player they wanted in the third round. It’s safe to say McVay was right, and Strange should have been a late-day two guy, as he was cut before his 4th season in the league.
As we sit here, 9 years removed from Dont’a Hightower receiving a second contract, it is pretty evident what went wrong and how the pieces fell apart in New England. Now, as the team projects to re-sign Gonzalez, they are picking up from where they left off nearly a decade ago, and look to compete for another Super Bowl title.