Meet the Patriots’ 2022 NFL Draft class

The Patriots have completed the 2022 NFL Draft, and landed 10 new players.

They added some speedy offensive players and a couple of big guys for the line. They also found a quarterback who could slot in well as Mac Jones’s backup, and picked two running backs.

Here’s a rundown of every pick the Patriots made.

First round

OL Cole Strange, 29th overall

The Patriots made Strange, a guard out of Chattanooga, a first-round pick when they traded back to No. 29 and took him on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 307-pound Strange was a five-year starter for the Mocs, playing 42 games at left guard and one each at left tackle and center.

Strange made the All-Southern Conference team four times, including a first-team selection in 2021.

As a result of transferring from Air Force and the COVID-19 pandemic, Strange enters the NFL as an older prospect. He will turn 24 July 31 after a six-year collegiate career. Here’s more about him.

Cole Strange scouting report

Second round

WR Tyquan Thornton, 50th overall

The Patriots traded up to draft Baylor wide receiver Tyquan Thornton in the second round of the NFL Draft, giving quarterback Mac Jones another offensive weapon.

“Getting a phone call from the New England Patriots, it was a dream come true,” Thornton said moments after defensive tackle Lawrence Guy and Wellesley native Ben Lepper announced the pick. “Seeing my family smile and everybody cheering, my heart was racing. It was a feeling that I never felt before.”

Director of player personnel Matt Groh said leading up to the draft that the Patriots were looking to get faster at every position — and Thornton certainly helps in that regard. His 40-yard dash time of 4.28 seconds was the fastest at the combine.

Read the full story about Thornton here.

Tyquan Thornton scouting report | Things to know about Thornton

Third round

CB Marcus Jones, 85th overall

With the 85th overall pick, New England took cornerback Marcus Jones out of Houston. The Patriots traded their other third-round selection to Carolina, in exchange for the 137th overall pick and a 2023 third-round pick.

Jones won the Paul Hornung award as the nation’s most versatile player in college football last year. He played important roles on defense and special teams, logging 47 tackles, 13 passes defensed, and 5 interceptions to go with two punts and two kickoffs returned for touchdowns. Jones’s performance earned him consensus All-America honors.

Not only do the Patriots need an instant impact cornerback following the departures of J.C. Jackson and Stephon Gilmore, but they also have a void at punt returner because Gunner Olszewski left for Pittsburgh in free agency.

Read the full story about Jones here.

Marcus Jones scouting report | Things to know about Jones

Fourth round

CB Jack Jones, 121st overall

A day after taking Marcus Jones, the Patriots selected cornerback Jack Jones in the fourth round (121st overall) of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

Jones, a 5-foot-10-inch, 174-pound ballhawk originally from Long Beach, Calif., was highly recruited out of high school. He started his career at the University of Southern California before running into some off-field issues, transferred to junior college Moorpark College, then capped his college career at Arizona State.

He clocked a 4.51-second 40-yard dash and is viewed by many as a player with tremendous talent. He turns 25 in December.

Check out the scouting report and learn more about him here.

RB Pierre Strong, 127th overall

After selecting the fastest receiver in the NFL Draft in the second round, New England selected the fastest running back in the draft with its second fourth-round pick, drafting Pierre Strong Jr. out of South Dakota State.

Here are four things to know about the top rusher in the FCS last year.

QB Bailey Zappe, 137th overall

No, Mac Jones isn’t going anywhere or in danger of losing his starting job. He does, however, have some new company in the quarterback room.

The Patriots selected Western Kentucky record-setter Bailey Zappe in the fourth round (137th overall) of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

Zappe set the single-season all-time record with 5,967 passing yards and 62 passing touchdowns this past year for the Hilltoppers. The 6-foot-1, 23-year-old QB, who starred at Houston Baptist before finishing his career at WKU, is an intriguing prospect who has a chance to emerge as the team’s No. 2 option.

“This is something that I’ve been dreaming for since I first started playing at 5,” Zappe said.

Here’s a scouting report and four things to know about him.

Sixth round

RB Kevin Harris, 183rd overall

The Patriots added their second running back of the draft when they selected Kevin Harris out of South Carolina.

Harris, 21, decided to forgo his senior season in Columbia to declare for the draft. He led the Gamecocks last season with 659 rushing yards and four TDs on 152 carries, while also contributing as a receiver.

But his best season was in 2020, when he started all 10 games and ranked seventh in FBS with 1,138 rushing yards.

Check out the scouting report and things to know here.

DT Sam Roberts, 200th overall

With the No. 200 pick, the Patriots selected Northwest Missouri State defensive tackle Sam Roberts.

Roberts won the 2021 Cliff Harris Award, which goes to the best small-college defensive player in the nationo.

He was the defensive player of the year for the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2021.

Northwest Missouri State finished 11-2 and was ranked No. 4 in Division 2.

The best part? Roberts is a Patriots fan. Read more about him here.

G Chasen Hines, 210th overall

Chasen Hines, who is from Marshall, Texas, was a two-year starter at LSU. He played defensive tackle in high school, and converted to guard in college. He’s shown flashes of finishing ability in the run game but had an injury-plagued senior season, which hurt his draft stock.

Seventh round

OL Andrew Stueber, 245th overall

Connecticut native Andrew Stueber was projected by Field Level Media to go as high as the fourth round, but he went at No. 245 — the last player to come off the board for the Patriots.

He worked primarily on special teams during his first two years at Michigan after tearing an ACL in training camp in 2019. He had a standout senior year, and was named a first-team all-Big Ten lineman and team captain while locking down the right side for the Wolverines.

Undrafted free agents

The Patriots made a handful of additions once the draft was over; an undrafted rookie has made New England’s final 53-man roster for 18 straight seasons, so they may find a usable piece or two in this crop.

The most notable pickups include Miami QB/WR D’Eriq King, who played quarterback his entire college career before suffering a shoulder injury but worked out as a wide receiver ahead of the draft, and Marlborough native Liam Shanahan, an offensive lineman from LSU who started at Harvard before moving to the SEC.