Patriots remake special teams on Day 3

The Patriots were full of surprises on Saturday.

Among New England’s nine selections on the final day of the NFL Draft was a former standout wrestler, a kicker, a punter, a Juniper Serra High grad, and, sacré bleu, a Canadiens fan!

After selecting three defensive players in the first three rounds, New England prioritized interior offensive line depth, special teams, and pass catchers on Day 3.

With their first choice of the day, New England selected Troy center Jake Andrews at No. 107 overall. A brawler with guard experience, Andrews boasts good size (6 feet 3 inches, 305 pounds) and athleticism.

A high school state champion wrestler in Alabama, Andrews’s offensive line coach last season was Cole Popovich, who was with the Patriots from 2016-20.

“We watched a lot of Patriots film and [Popovich] talked about them all the time,” said Andrews. “He used a lot of good examples from a lot of great players that have come through there that he had plenty of time with, which made examples out of that for us. He gave us insight into what it means to be great and what it means to be a Patriot in general.”

After striking a deal with the Jets (another surprise!) to move up to No. 112 (for No. 120 and 184), New England took kicker Chad Ryland, who spent four years at Eastern Michigan before one year at Maryland, where he was an All-Big Ten selection after hitting 19 of 23 field goals. He’s also a kickoff specialist.

“He’s a stud,” said Ryland’s former Eastern Michigan teammate, Sidy Sow, who, coincidentally the Patriots chose at No. 117.

A 6-5, 323-pounder, Sow played in a school-record 57 games (with 55 starts) for the Eagles. Sow is ridiculously strong (he’s a former Olympic weightlifter) and agile (he’s an accomplished handball player). The Quebec native is aggressive, disciplined ( just one false start in 2022), and a Montreal Canadiens fan “till I die.”

With the Patriots’ lone pick of the fifth round (No. 144), Bill Belichick plucked UCLA guard Atonio Mafi, who grew up a Patriots fan partly because Tom Brady went to his high school (Serra). The 6-3, 329-pounder started 13 games for Chip Kelly in 2022 and played for Patriots coaches at the Shrine Bowl, where he was named West squad captain.

“I had a really good experience getting to learn firsthand from an NFL coaching staff, and then just happening to be picked up by them is obviously a blessing,” said Mafi, a cousin of former Patriots tight end Devin Asiasi.

At No. 187, the Patriots grabbed receiver Kayshon Boutte, a player Belichick got an up-close-and-personal look at during LSU’s Pro Day last month.

Boutte (5-11, 195 pounds) caught 131 passes for 1,782 yards and 16 touchdowns in 27 games, working mostly out of the slot. He possesses elite athleticism and quickness but was criticized by his Tiger coaching staff for his inconsistency and acknowledged Saturday that his college career “could have been better.”

Boutte said he is motivated by being drafted.

“I want everyone to know that I am a hard worker and that I’m going to give 100 percent,’’ he said. “I feel like I have been doubted a lot [and] I feel like it’s time for me to prove that I’m not that same person.”

The Patriots double dipped on slot receivers, nabbing Liberty’s Demario Douglas at No. 210. Short on stature at 5-8, 179 pounds, but not on explosiveness, Douglas caught 172 passes for 2,193 yards and 16 TDs in 40 games. An electric player after the catch (and as a returner), he, too, worked with the Patriots at the Shrine Bowl.

“I got along so well with the staff,” he said. “They made me feel like I was already in the NFL as I went through the process. So, I feel like I’m already home.”

In between the receivers, the team tabbed punter Bryce Baringer from Michigan State at No. 192, making the Patriots the first team since the Raiders in 2000 to take a kicker and a punter in the same draft class.

Baringer’s career average of 46 yards per punt is a school and Big Ten record.

In an interesting nugget, Baringer held for Ryland on field goal attempts during Senior Bowl week.

“To be able to add two of the very top players at their positions in Chad and Bryce to the team, certainly was an opportunity that we didn’t want to pass up on,” said director of player personnel Matt Groh.

With its last two picks, New England went with a pair of bigger defensive backs with elite special teams skills.

Ameer Speed (6-3, 209 pounds) played four seasons at Georgia before transferring to Michigan State for 2022, where he made 62 tackles on defense.

“I’m ready to come in to work,” he said. “Ready to help the team in any way possible.”

The Patriots final selection was Isaiah Bolden from Jackson State, the lone player taken from an HBCU school in this draft. Bolden (6-2, 201 pounds) excelled as a press corner and returner for Deion Sanders’s former team.

“Learning from the greatest of alltime was a blessing and I believe he prepared me for this moment,” Bolden said.