Top 50 New England Patriots

An inaugural franchise of the American Football League, the New England Patriots debuted as the Boston Patriots, but they were unable to win the AFL Title. They did appear in the 1963 AFL Championship Game, but that was their only playoff appearance of the 1960s.

The Patriots took on New England as their designation when they moved to Foxborough in 1971, shortly after the NFL-AFL merger.  The Patriots only made it to the playoff twice in the 70s, but in the 80s, they went to their first Super Bowl but were thumped by the Chicago Bears in 1986. A decade later, they were back again but lost to the Green Bay Packers.

The 2000s were completely different, and with Quarterback om Brady and Head Coach, Bill Belichick, the Pats won six Super Bowls, which is tied for the most with the Pittsburgh Steelers.


This list is up to the end of the 2021 season.

Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.

1. Tom Brady

1. Tom Brady
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Who else could it possibly be?
Read more

2. John Hannah

2. John Hannah
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
John Hannah studied his craft under the tutelage of Paul “Bear” Bryant at the University of Alabama, where he would become a two-time All-American.  He was coveted by all of the NFL teams, and the New England Patriots would select him with the fourth overall pick in 1973.
Read more

3. Rob Gronkowski

3. Rob Gronkowski
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
There have been a lot of great Tight Ends in football, but there is only one "Gronk."
Read more

4. Andre Tippett

4. Andre Tippett
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Andre Tippett was an All-American at the University of Iowa, and he fell to the New England Patriots in the draft, where they chose him in the Second Round in 1982.
Read more

NFL HALL OF FAME GAME: NEW YORK JETS VS CLEVELAND BROWNS AT TOM BENSON HALL OF FAME STADIUM IN CANTON, OH

Aug 03, 2023

Buy your Tickets to see NFL Hall of Fame Game: New York Jets vs Cleveland Browns at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, OH HERE for as little as $216!

NFL HALL OF FAME ENSHRINEMENT AT TOM BENSON HALL OF FAME STADIUM IN CANTON, OH

Aug 05, 2023

Buy your Tickets to see NFL Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, OH HERE for as little as $70!

PRESEASON: ALBUQUERQUE AZTECS AT SG FOOTBALL AT SEATGEEK FOOTBALL IN RYE COVE, VA

Aug 13, 2028

Buy your Tickets to see PRESEASON: Albuquerque Aztecs at SG Football at SeatGeek Football in Rye Cove, VA HERE for as little as $98!

PRESEASON: CALIFORNIA CRUSADERS AT SG FOOTBALL AT SEATGEEK FOOTBALL IN RYE COVE, VA

Aug 27, 2028

Buy your Tickets to see PRESEASON: California Crusaders at SG Football at SeatGeek Football in Rye Cove, VA HERE for as little as $98!

 

5. Mike Haynes

5. Mike Haynes
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Mike Haynes played the first seven of his fourteen-year career with the New England Patriots, and he was a Pro Bowl Selection in six of them.
Read more

6. Logan Mankins

6. Logan Mankins
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Logan Mankins was chosen with the last pick of 2005's First Round, and the Fresno State Bulldog went right to work as the New England Patriots' starting Left Guard.
Read more

7. Ty Law

7. Ty Law
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Ty Law came to the New England Patriots as a First Rounder (23rdOverall) from the University of Michigan, and he would prove to be one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the franchise.
Read more

8. Richard Seymour

8. Richard Seymour
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
The New England Patriots got the defensive stud they wanted in the 2001 Draft when they took their First Round (Sixth Overall) Pick in the versatile Richard Seymour.
Read more

9. Stanley Morgan

9. Stanley Morgan
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Stanley Morgan was a stud offensive skill player at the University of Tennessee, where he was used mostly as a rusher.  The New England Patriots knew they had something special in Morgan when they used the 25thOverall Pick in 1977 to land him, but they found that he would be better served as a Wide Receiver.
Read more

10. Nick Buoniconti

10. Nick Buoniconti
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Nick Buoniconti was lightly regarded by pro scouts despite being the captain of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They viewed him too small, and nobody in the NFL selected him in the 1962 Draft.  The Boston Patriots did, with their 13thRound Pick, but little was expected of him.  As we know, this wasn’t the case.
Read more

11. Vince Wilfolk

11. Vince Wilfolk
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Vince Wilfork was a champion at the University of Miami in 2001, and it would not be long before he achieved that on the professional level.
Read more

12. Gino Cappelletti

12. Gino Cappelletti
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
We don’t think that we are incorrect in stating that the most versatile player in Patriots history has to be Gino Cappelletti.
Read more

13. Jon Morris

13. Jon Morris
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
For many younger Patriots fans, the history of the franchise did not begin until Tom Brady took them to their first Super Bowl win in 2001.  Of course, we know that was not the case at all, and we have our first AFL player to look at in Center, Jon Morris.
Read more

14. Houston Antwine

14. Houston Antwine
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
While we would not say that Houston Antwine was the greatest Patriot while the franchise was in the AFL, he was undoubtedly in the conversation.
Read more

15. Wes Welker

15. Wes Welker
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Wes Welker was an All-Rookie Returner as an undrafted player with Miami in 2004.  Welker would begin to see more time at Wide Receiver, but the Patriots saw something more special in him, and they traded for him in 2007.
Read more

16. Bruce Armstrong

16. Bruce Armstrong
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
One of the few players who played more than 200 Games for the New England Patriots, Bruce Armstrong would play all of his 212 Games in the National Football League with the Pats.
Read more

17. Adam Vinatieri

17. Adam Vinatieri
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Undrafted from South Dakota State, Adam Vinatieri latched on with the Amsterdam Admirals of the World League before joining the New England Patriots in 1996.
Read more

18. Matt Light

18. Matt Light
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Matt Light plied his college trade at Purdue, and the New England Patriots were fortunate to land him with their 2001 Second Round Pick.
Read more

19. Larry Eisenhauer

19. Larry Eisenhauer
Top 50 New England Patriots
Add new comment
Larry Eisenhauer played at Boston College, becoming one of the many local players to ply their trade at the professional level with the Boston Patriots.
Read more
Subscribe to this RSS feed