Grading each AFC East team's Draft: Is Miami in pole position to win the division?

The 2023 NFL Draft has come and gone. Across the board, there were some fantastic picks made, of course including in the AFC East. The Patriots were the first team on the board in the division and they decided to stand pat and select Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick.

As for the Miami Dolphins, they used their first-round selection on Chop Robinson, a move that plenty of people are still celebrating. In this piece, we're taking a look at the division as a whole, providing grades for each AFC East squad:

New England Patriots - 8 Selections

Pick No. 3 - Drake Maye - A: Maye was my QB2 going into the draft, so by that metric, it's a great value pick. All things considered, the Patriots will need to develop Maye and will need to improve the team around him. Maye has a great arm and good mobility, which can make him a nightmare. I thought Maye showed flashes of Josh Allen at UNC, and with the proper development, he could reach that level. It's a good pick by New England.

Pick No. 37 - Ja'Lynn Polk - B: Well, needing to build around Maye, the Patriots took a good receiver off the board after a run on receivers late on Night 1 and early Day 2. Polk is interesting because he was overshadowed at times by Rome Odunze. Polk was productive, even with two other NFL receivers on the team, as he is a good contested catch guy and someone who will likely play a similar role to Tez Walker at UNC to catch deep balls from Maye.

Pick No. 68 - Caedan Wallace - C+: It's a bit of a reach since many people had Wallace slotted as a fourth or fifth-rounder. He was a solid RT for Penn State, with good athleticism and solid pass protection. He may kick in to guard or stick at RT.

Pick No. 103 - Layden Robinson - B: Layden is someone I wanted Miami to look at, but figured he'd be off the board before the fifth round. He is a solid zone blocker with improved pass protection only allowing one sack last season, improving from four in 2022.

Pick No. 110 - Javon Baker - A: The Pats got great value getting Baker in Round 4. Baker is a great route runner, who led the country with 21.9 yards per catch last year. He's faster in short bursts than streaking down the field, and his drops could improve, but he is a baller and definitely brings another good pass-catcher to New England.

Pick No. 180 - Marcellas Dial - C: Dart throw on a guy who had a really solid 2023 season. I expected him to go Round 7, if at all. He may be a decent special teamer or backup CB.

Pick No. 193 - Joe Milton III - C: Not sure what was wrong with Bailey Zappe, but apparently he's on the outs. Milton has a cannon, but he has very limited input on where the ball is going on any given throw.

Pick No. 231 - Jaheim Bell - A: People were slightly surprised to see Bell fall this far. He is kind of positionless, but he is a fun gadget guy who is good with the ball in his hands. This is a fun pickup with good upside potential for the Pats.

Grade: B - Look I don't count late-round dart throws against anyone. I really like the Maye and Baker picks, as well as the Bell flier. All in all, New England needed a good draft for their rebuild, and they appear to be off to a good start.