Patriots Named Top 5 in Defensive Position Group by Analyst

The New England Patriots made a significant investment on the defensive side of the ball entering the first season under new head coach Mike Vrabel.

The Patriots signed cornerback Carlton Davis to a three-year deal and drafted safety Craig Woodson out of Cal in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft to help with the secondary.

With additions and returning players, the Patriots’ secondary was named the fifth-best secondary in the league by Pro Football Focus’ John Kosko.

“Despite the Patriots’ struggles in the post-Bill Belichick and Tom Brady era, their defense remains a strength. Budding star Christian Gonzalez leads the group after missing most of his rookie season in 2023. His 78.2 coverage grade last season was outstanding for a de facto rookie year, and the Patriots added Carlton Davis in the offseason to bolster the cornerback room,” Kosko wrote for PFF.

“Jabrill Peppers has quietly put together a quality career, earning overall grades above 82.3 in each of the past two seasons. Dell Pettus also looks like an undrafted gem, excelling in PFF’s advanced coverage metrics and posting a 73.9 overall grade as a rookie.”

Gonzalez earned a second-team All-Pro nod for the 4-13 Patriots last season. Davis, who last played for the Detroit Lions, earned a 74.5 overall grade last season by PFF, ranking him 29th out of 222 qualifying cornerbacks.

New Partnership In Patriots Secondary

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez earned his first All-Pro team selection and will have a $60 million teammate playing alongside him.

With the Patriots signing Carlton Davis to play opposite of Gonzalez, the Patriots have an elite CB duo.

“Just learning and playing with CD. He’s played in the Super Bowl — he’s seen it at the highest level. That’s only not great for me, but for the whole room to just have his voice in there and just pick him tips from him,” Gonzalez told the media about playing with Davis.

“Anything he can learn from us, we can learn from him. Just chopping it up, piggybacking ideas, how we play certain things. It’s gonna be awesome.”

Davis praised the former Oregon Duck product, believing they can be an elite CB tandem in the NFL.

Pro Football Focus ranked Gonzalez and Davis as the 13th and 18th best corners heading into next season, respectively.

Jabrill Peppers On Patriots Fourth-Round Pick

The Patriots’ 106th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft has impressed the team in offseason training. Woodson has been receiving some first defensive team snaps and also picked off Drake Maye during 11-on-11 drills during OTAs.

Safety Jabrill Peppers has been impressed by what he has seen from the fourth-round draft selection.

“I like him. Smart. Savvy,” veteran safety Jabrill Peppers said. “He’s doing a great job soaking up what the coaches want him to do. Different techniques. College ball is a little different than the league — especially in the Pac-12; he’s definitely doing a good job, though.”

If the Patriots’ secondary clicks, it will allow a revamped defensive line time to get to the quarterback.