Patriots 53-man roster projection: Milton too impressive to let go

Patriots 53-man roster projection: Milton too impressive to let go originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

FOXBORO — What better time to slap together a way-too-early 53-man roster projection than after the first preseason game of the summer?

That’s exactly what we’ve cobbled together here for the Patriots after they beat the Panthers in an exhibition Thursday night at Gillette Stadium, 17-3.

Which quarterbacks stick? Are there journeymen vets who’ve proven they are worthy of an active roster spot? How many undrafted rookies built on strong practices to help secure themselves roster spots (at least in this way-too-early projection) against Carolina?

We’ll provide answers to those questions and many more in this exercise. Let’s get to the names…

Can’t leave Joe Milton off this list after what he did Thursday. There’s promise there, and not just in the fact that he has a cannon arm and legitimate outside-the-pocket athleticism.

He showed good poise to keep his eyes downfield and hit his back on a checkdown after sliding away from pressure. He looked off the defense, gave a shoulder fake, stood tall in a clean pocket and turned to the opposite side of the field for his touchdown. He showed some polish, and he looks worthy of a 53-man spot and further development.

Bailey Zappe potentially could land on the practice squad after getting through waivers, as he did a year ago.

Is this an overreaction to what Jennings did against some of Carolina’s furthest-down-the-depth-chart defenders? Possibly.

But the 6-foot, 217-pounder ran hard Thursday. No surprise. He averaged 4.6 yards after contact per carry at Florida A&M. Signed after his rookie minicamp tryout, Jennings seemed to make the most of his opportunities in his pro debut.

Kendrick Bourne will be a part of this team, but until he’s off the PUP list, we’ll leave him off the 53-man roster.

Hard to figure out what to do with Tyquan Thornton. He’s dealing with a soft-tissue issue that has limited him of late, even though he played on Thursday. Dependability matters, so we’ll go with Reagor — who has returner skills — over the speedster.

Pretty straightforward grouping here. Mitchell Wilcox has looked like the No. 3 tight end in camp because of his usage, but he’s had difficulty catching the football — as he did Thursday — and he doesn’t look like an impact blocker to this point.

The top four here seem relatively locked in. But what happens with the tackle opposite Okorafor bears watching.

The choice was Lowe on Thursday, and he’s been one of their most consistent linemen in recent camp practices, but they should be on the lookout for an upgrade there if they can find one.

Ryland has been winning the kicking battle in his back-and-forth with Joey Slye, but it’s far from won. For now, we’ll have him taking the kicker slot in our 53.

Cardona has been banged up lately, but the expectation here is he’ll be healthy enough to go when needed.

For a defense that is going to be focused on stopping early-down runs, having a half-dozen big bodies to throw at the problem — allowing them to rotate and stay fresh — makes some sense.

Purcell, 33, is an experienced vet with the frame to hold his ground and eat blocks as a backup of sorts to Godchaux on the nose. Hill could chip in as an interior rusher with some explosiveness off the ball as Christian Barmore deals with his blood clot diagnosis.

Yes, Judon remains on the list. There should be a short-term fix available to both sides that keeps the Pro Bowl pass-rusher in Foxboro for another season.

Tough to leave Joe Giles-Harris off this list after the preseason opener he just posted. He was active, breaking up two passes and coming up with four tackles. But perhaps the Patriots can get him back on the practice squad.

Elliss ran the defensive huddle for stretches on Thursday, came up with a sack, and projects to be a core special-teamer. Ximines, meanwhile, looked like the most productive player on the team against Carolina, especially in the first half. He made a special-teams tackle, stuffed a run, and consistently bothered the quarterback, recording a sack and two hits.

Wilson and Austin continue to get reps early in practices, and it was Wilson who started the Panthers game opposite Gonzalez with both Joneses out.

Wilson, Austin and Isaiah Bolden all have good length to be disruptive at the catch point. And all ooze competitiveness. The same is true for rookie Marcellas Dial and second-year man Azizi Hearn.

Without having seen Marte Mapu to this point in the summer, we’ll leave him off for now, though he’d be expected to be on the roster whenever he returns to action.

Pettus gives the Patriots a second undrafted rookie on the roster in this projection, joining Terrell Jennings. He has stood out for his physicality and instincts in camp, and he tied for the team lead in tackles against Carolina with five.