How will the large reception room evolve? –NBC Sports Boston

With spring practice in sight and the Patriots gearing up for the summer, let’s try to predict the regular season roster, shall we? This seems like a good time to do this exercise, given the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the roster and training camp in about a month.

Although the minicamp – and the performances of a handful of stars – are still fresh in our minds, we won’t overrate the performances from these shorts and t-shirt sessions. We will, however, highlight those who stood out during minicamps and OTAs as players to watch if they don’t end up reaching that particular projection.

Let’s go… (Players listed in italics are beginners.)

Quarterback (3): Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, Joe Milton

Jerod Mayo told Sports Illustrated before minicamp that he hoped to reduce the quarterback’s reps to three players. He had essentially split reps in half by the end of spring practice.

Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye did the vast majority of the competitive work in the final practice of spring minicamp, with Bailey Zappe not getting a single rep at 11-on-11 during that session.

Joe Milton reportedly has a chance to land on the 53-man roster by the end of camp, just to make sure he doesn’t get poached by another club. But at this point, considering it’s late spring, it looks like it could work as a two-player group when things get competitive in practice.

Returning (3): Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, JaMycal Hasty

The top two players here are clear locks, with Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson set to handle the bulk of the work — one fresh off an extension and the other fresh off a new deal in free agency. JaMycal Hasty, meanwhile, is one of the more interesting names in this projection as he has been busy during spring training.

Hasty caught eight of nine competitive shots sent to minicamp. If the Patriots are looking for a passer to add to this room, Hasty looks like the leader in the clubhouse to join Stevenson and Gibson. If they want a bigger body, it would likely end up going to Kevin Harris and undrafted rookie Deshaun Fenwick, who were teammates at South Carolina during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Wide Receiver (6): Ja’Lynn PolkDeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Javon BoulangerKJ OsbornKayshon Boutte

The first takeaway from this crop of wideouts? It’s a long list. Six players is likely more than the Patriots would keep on their roster through Week 1 of the 2024 regular season. And they don’t have a classic “No. 1” here. They do, however, have NFL-caliber depth.

Even though JuJu Smith-Schuster isn’t included here — he’s worked to become a full participant, but has looked limited at times by lower-body issues this spring — they have a mess of players who deserve to be taken into consideration. If Kendrick Bourne needs a little more time to truly be ready after his torn ACL, perhaps that would open up a spot for Jalen Reagor, who has impressed at times in minicamp. But this unit appears to have five locks and a possible slot for an additional body.

In this scenario, that steal spot would go to Kayshon Boutte, who had a stunning spring with some contested touchdowns from Drake Maye in minicamp. It is not yet known whether Boutte will face disciplinary action from the league after being arrested in Baton Rouge in January on one count of computer fraud and one count of misdemeanor gambling prohibited to persons under the age of 21 years old. Boutte allegedly created a fake online gaming account while he was a minor to bet on nearly 9,000 sporting events, including several LSU football games while he was still on the team.

If any of these players come close to No. 1 status, my guess is it will ultimately be Polk. Often touted as the type of player who does all the little things — tough, a willing blocker, etc. — people in the building pointed out to me that he possessed top-of-the-line physical skills, which made them believe he will be much more than an actor in their reception hall.

Phil Perry breaks down the ten lessons the Patriots can learn from the Celtics’ title run. Later, we chat with college football analyst Eric Froton to get his thoughts on the Patriots’ draft class.

Tight end (4): Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, La’Michael Pettway, Jaheim Bell

Because we associate this with spring training not being that far in the rearview mirror, we’ll include La’Michael Pettway here. He made a handful of notable plays in the passing game during OTAs and minicamp practices.

Pettway is also built more like a traditional tight end than Jaheim Bell, giving the Patriots another possible in-line option to work with Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper. Given his size and unique athleticism, Bell feels like he fits the position group as a potential H-back.

Offensive line (8): David Andrews, Jake Andrews, Sidy Sow, Layden RobinsonNick Leverett, Mike Onwenu, Chukwuma Okorafor, Caedan Wallace

Who will make up this unit? And how will they be deployed? This unit may have more question marks than any other on the list.

Three starters seem relatively set in stone with Mike Onwenu, David Andrews and Sidy Sow locked in. But will Onwenu play the role of right tackle or right guard? He found himself at the guardhouse to finish minicamp.

Will Sidy Sow be on the left or on the right? He was on the left before the team broke up for the summer. And what about the two tackle spots? These were occupied by Chukwuma Okorafor (left) and Caedan Wallace (right) in late spring.

The backup spots are also up in the air, it seems. We’ve included fourth-round pick Layden Robinson, versatile interior lineman Nick Leverett and backup center Jake Andrews, who was selected in the fourth round last year. None of those players are tackles. But between Okorafor, Wallace and Onwenu, maybe the Patriots will feel like they have some flexibility there.

This is a position group where a veteran signing — veterans Donovan Smith and Charles Leno are both still available as free agents — could make sense.

Special teams (3): Joey SlyeJoe Cardona, Bryce Baringer

It’s hard to know what will happen with the kicker situation. Let’s see how it plays out in camp, but second-year kicker Chad Ryland had some notable hiccups in the spring. Joey Slye is a journeyman veteran, having spent time with seven teams since 2019, but we’ll have him take the kicker spot in this particular projection.

Defensive Line (6): Deatrich Wise, Christian Barmore, Davon Godchaux, Armon Watts, Daniel Ekuale, Jeremy Pharms

If Davon Godchaux’s contract situation comes to a head, the Patriots could be in the market for a new nose tackle. But his size, durability and ability to effectively take on multiple blockers might be hard to replace. For a defensive system that will likely still have some old-school principles under Jerod Mayo and DeMarcus Covington, a space-eating tackle is valuable. It’s Godchaux.

The Patriots just signed Armon Watts and Jeremiah Pharms had some impressive moments last season. Still, the team doesn’t currently have another 330-pound body to do what Godchaux does.

Outside linebacker (4): Matthew Judon, Keion White, Anfernee Jennings, Joshua Uche

Matthew Judon is another player who would welcome a change to his contract, but he finds himself in a different situation after a season-ending injury. Unlike Godchaux, he participated in minicamp, perhaps in an effort to show Patriots decision-makers that he’s ready to play physically – and that he’s worth investing in beyond this season.

Keion White lands here because he was spotted in the spring working out of the sidelines a lot. He’s athletic enough to be an outside linebacker despite his giant frame (6-foot-5, 285 pounds), but there’s a good chance he’ll be deployed as a versatile chess piece upside down.

Inside linebacker (6): Ja’Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai, Marte Mapu, Sione Takitaki, Raekwon McMillan, Christian Ellis

The top two names here seem determined to play big roles again in 2024, but Jahlani Tavai did not participate in minicamp practices as he appeared to be dealing with a lower body issue. Sione Takitaki should have real responsibility from the start after being signed by Eliot Wolf, who helped recruit him to the Browns in 2019.

Christian Elliss and Marte Mapu should both be staples on special teams. For Mapu in particular, this season – his second – will be crucial in determining what his defensive role will be.

This group is rounded out by well-respected veteran Raekwon McMillan, who has struggled with injury and only played in one game over the past three seasons.

Cornerback (6): Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, Marco Wilson, Isaiah Bolden

If we were weighing spring practice production alone, Azizi Hearn, a 25-year-old UCLA product, would land here. He had a pick and two assists in minicamp, making him someone to watch in training camp.

Alex Austin made a few plays in the spring – and he received praise from Mayo – to land him here. Marco Wilson and Isaiah Bolden ended up filling out the depth chart here, but those slots could end up going to a variety of different defensive backs.

Shaun Wade, for example, has been trusted as a player on the team for the past three seasons and could be back for a fourth thanks to his understanding of several different positions in the scheme that Mayo and Covington have coached these last years.

Safety (4): Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Brenden Schooler, Jaylinn Hawkins

You might want to get acquainted with Jaylinn Hawkins, Patriots fans.

Safety isn’t the deepest spot on the roster, and Hawkins has played in 46 games over the past three seasons for the Chargers and Falcons. He didn’t get a lot of guaranteed money when he signed this offseason — $417,500, according to Over The Cap — but he could provide significant depth behind two of the most reliable and impactful players on the roster to Kyle. Dugger and Jabrill peppers.