Patriots Fans Should Be Furious That They Drafted Over Marte Mapu Over These Stars
Patriots Fans Should Be Furious That They Drafted Over Marte Mapu Over These Stars originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The New England Patriots selected Marte Mapu in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but the team is reportedly planning to release him after just three seasons.
Mapu was one of the last players drafted by Bill Belichick. He started 10 of 44 possible games for the Patriots, but last year, he did not start a game for Mike Vrabel and was mainly used on special teams. On Tuesday, ESPN's Mike Reiss reported that the team plans to release him.
It's safe to say the third-round pick did not pan out, but looking back at who the Patriots could have had instead is painful. Mapu was the 76th overall pick in the draft. At the time, the pick seemed puzzling as well, but looking back, it was really a disaster.
The very next player selected was Byron Young, who has 27. 5 sacks and was a Pro Bowler last season. The pick after Young was Tucker Kraft, who was looking like one of the best tight ends in the NFL last season before his injury.
Kraft has turned into a very reliable weapon for Jordan Love in the Packers. The two picks immediately after Mapu have been great players so far, but it does not end there. Between the pick they used on Mapu and the Patriots' next selection, Josh Downs, De'Von Achane, Riley Moss, Kobie Turner and Michael Wilson were all selected.