FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today the signing of eight of their 12 2023 draft selections and three rookie free agents.
The Patriots signed fourth-round draft picks P Chad Ryland and G Sidy Sow, fifth-round draft pick G Atonio Mafi, sixth-round draft picks WR Kayshon Boutte, K Bryce Baringer, WR Demario Douglas and DB Ameer Speed and seventh-round draft pick DB Isaiah Bolden.
In addition, the Patriots announced the signing of three rookie free agents: QB Malik Cunningham, LB Jourdan Heilig and TE Johnny Lumpkin.
2023 DRAFT PICK SIGNINGS
Ryland, 23, was selected by the Patriots in the fourth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the 112th overall pick out of Maryland. The 6-foot, 183-pounder played his first four seasons at Eastern Michigan before transferring to Maryland for the 2022 season. He is second all-time in Eastern Michigan history with 56 field goals and 309 total points. Last season at Maryland, Ryland played in all 13 games and finished 19-of-23 on field goals for .826 field goal percentage, the highest percentage in Maryland history.
Sow, 23, was selected by the Patriots in the fourth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the 117th overall pick out of Eastern Michigan. The 6-foot-5, 326-pounder is the all-time leader in games played with 57 and games started with 55. Last season, he earned First-Team All-MAC accolades after appearing in all 13 games at left guard.
Mafi, 22, was selected by the Patriots in the fifth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the 144th overall pick out of UCLA. The 6-foot-3, 329-pounder tied the school record with 56 games played during his UCLA career. He was named second-team All-Pac-12 by the league coaches and the Associated Press after starting all 13 games at left guard in 2022. He began his career at UCLA as a defensive tackle for his first two seasons before making the switch to the offensive line.
Boutte, 21, was selected by the Patriots in the sixth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the 187th overall pick out of Louisiana State. The 6-foot, 195-pounder spent three seasons with LSU, appearing in 27 games with 21 starts and finished with 131 receptions for 1,782 yards with 16 touchdowns. He appeared in 10 of the 11 games last season and finished with 48 receptions for 538 yards and two touchdowns.
Douglas, 22, was selected by the Patriots in the sixth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the 210th overall pick out of Liberty. The 5-foot-8, 170-pounder played four seasons at Liberty as a wide receiver and a returner. He finished his career with 40 receptions for 172 yards and 16 touchdowns, returned 56 punts for 383 yards with two touchdowns and 17 kickoffs for 368 yards. He also added a 75-yard rushing touchdown as a senior in 2022.
Speed, 23, was selected by the Patriots in the sixth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the 214th overall pick out of Michigan State. The 6-foot-3, 209-pounder was a four-year letter winner at Georgia (2017, 2019-21) who played in 48 games and was a member of the 2021 National Championship team. He was a graduate transfer who joined Michigan State in January of 2022 for a sixth-year of eligibility. Speed played in 12 games with 11 starts at cornerback last season and registered 62 total tackles with five passes defensed.
Bolden, 23, was selected by the Patriots in the seventh-round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the 245th overall pick out of Jackson State. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder played his first two college seasons at Florida State before transferring to Jackson State. Last season, Bolden led the nation in kickoff return average with 36.9 yards per attempt and tied for the FCS lead with two kickoff return touchdowns.
| Name | POS | HT | WT | Born | College | H.S. Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cunningham, Malik | QB | 6-1 | 190 | 10/6/1998 | Louisville | Montgomery, Ala. |
| Heilig, Jourdan | LB | 6-2 | 215 | 4/23/2001 | Appalachian State | Concord, N.C. |
| Lumpkin, Johnny | TE | 6-5 | 264 | 9/3/1997 | Louisiana | Atlanta, Ga. |
*Heights and weights are gathered from college bios and will be officially updated at a later date.
2023 ROOKIE FREE AGENTS
Cunningham, 24, spent five seasons at Louisville and finished his career ranked fourth with 9,664 passing yards and fifth with 70 touchdowns in 56 games with 47 starts. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder closed his career third in rushing yards with 3,184 yards and tied a school record with 50 rushing touchdowns.
Heilig, 22, played four seasons at Appalachian State as a linebacker. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder played in 51 games and finished with 34 totals tackles on defense.
Lumpkin, 25, began his career at Hutchinson Community College for two seasons before transferring to Louisiana for his five college seasons. The 6-foot-5, 264-pounder played in 51 games with 42 starts and finished his career with 36 receptions for 408 yards and six touchdowns.
