Thirteen things we learned about the Patriots at this week's minicamp

The Patriots wrapped up mandatory minicamp on Thursday, and while there's one more week for organized team activities before the NFL breaks for summer vacation, there was still enough big-picture takeaways from what happened this week in Foxborough for us to ponder. With that in mind, here are 13 things we learned about the Patriots over the last three days.

1. There doesn't appear to be any rust on Tom Brady. The quarterback threw the ball well, had command of the offense, and was the clear QB1 on the field. (So much for Bill Belichick punishing him for skipping OTAs by having him work with the third team.) Given how little time comparatively he's had to work with them, it'll be interesting to see if there are any chemistry questions with Brady and the new offensive skill position players. But that's a question for down the road.

2. The defense is ahead of the offense. It’s June, so take it all with a grain of salt. But Brian Flores’ group was very aggressive over the course of the three practices, especially when it came to making Brady uncomfortable. The secondary was really impressive with multiple pass breakups and interceptions on all three New England quarterbacks. But the front was able to do a good job getting some semblance of pressure on the passer. Part of that is likely due to the fact the offensive line was shuffled on a consistent basis over the course of the week. And then, there’s the fact that there were no pads, so it’s tough to get a read on technique and skill level when it comes to overall line play. But the defense looks good at this point on the calendar.

3. Stephon Gilmore looks primed for an excellent year. The veteran cornerback was on the field early throughout the course of the three practices — he took the long way around, bypassing the media and walking up the back hill. He was not limited in any form or fashion, getting his usual reps with what appeared to be the No. 1 defense and finishing the week with multiple pass breakups. While the was a learning curve last year that was difficult to watch at times, the feeling here is he’s worlds' ahead of where he was last summer. As is the case with all these assessments, it’s really early. But he’s taken an excellent first step on the way to what could be a very good year.

4. Jacob Hollister is making his case. There’s no way of knowing just how he’ll respond when the pads go on, but the young tight end appears ready to challenge the likes of Troy Niklas and Dwayne Allen when it comes to playing time. He’s not as big as the other two and is more of a pass catcher than a blocker, but he’s crisp in his routes and has nice hands. As we’ve said before, there’s a lot of time between now and the regular season, but he’s doing all he can to push Niklas and Allen on the depth chart.

5. Rob Gronkowski looked like he was feeling really good. There was a brushfire of rumors during the day on Friday which could eventually lead to ... something. But over the three days we saw him on the field during minicamp, I’m not sure there was a happier-looking player on the offensive side of the ball than Gronkowski. He was whooping after big catches, delivering a first-down signal after a reception along the sideline, and after a touchdown catch from Brady, he fired the ball into a nearby tree. No one is completely sure what the future might hold for the big tight end, but he certainly looked like a guy who was having a good time playing football Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

6. Sony Michel looks good in the passing game. This isn’t necessarily a shot at his potential when it comes to between-the-tackles work. It’s just to indicate that he popped as a pass catcher over the three days of camp. He appears to be a willing receiver, and his athleticism is easy to spot. Expectations around the rookie should be managed in the early going, just because he’s going into his first year in the league. But if all goes well, he will almost certainly be a serious part of the rotation by October.

7. There are still questions about left tackle. Some of the shuffling was because of injury, and some was because the Patriots were looking to try some different combinations. But no clear candidate has stood out above the field when it came to the left tackle spot, at least to this point on the calendar. Rookie Isaiah Wynn saw the bulk of his reps come at left guard as a replacement for Joe Thuney. And the fact Marcus Cannon spent the bulk of his time on the rehab field left the Patriots working with a few different right tackles over the course of the week. If he’s healthy, Trent Brown (who was limited) is one of the leading candidates on the left side, as well as returnee La Adrian Waddle and Wynn. But right now, things are still unsettled. Look for things to start to coalesce come July.

8. There are still some health questions at cornerback. We weren’t able to get a good reason as to why Jason McCourty played so little over the course of the week. In addition, Cyrus Jones and Jonathan Jones were two who spent the bulk of their time on the lower rehab fields, avoiding the 11-on-11 stuff as they work their way back from injuries that left them on the shelf at the end of the 2017 season. So while Gilmore has been impressive this spring, there are still some questions as to who might be the best fit on the other side. The thinking is that it will ultimately be McCourty’s job, but there are still questions as to how the back end of the depth chart is going to shake out, how Eric Rowe will figure into the mix and who might have the inside edge at the nickel corner spot. (In the context of this conversation, J.C. Jackson and Keion Crossen played as well as could be expected when it comes to rookie corners at this time of the year.)

9. The front seven will be better in 2018 than it was in 2017. You never know how health is going to go, but if everyone is able to stay out of the trainers’ room, this group figures to be more competitive this coming year than it was last season. At linebacker, the return of Dont’a Hightower will allow everyone else to be pushed back down the depth chart to where they need to be — that means the Patriots won’t be leaning on newcomers and/or youngsters in key situations. Up front, it’s a young and aggressive group. Over the three-day camp, New England featured a bunch of different lineups up front, including a combination package that included the likes of Adrian Clayborn, Trey Flowers. Deatrich Wise and Derek Rivers on the edge and the wildly underrated Lawrence Guy, Malcom Brown, Adam Butler, Danny Shelton and Vincent Valentine in the middle. If Rivers, Hightower, Valentine and linebacker Harvey Langi can stay healthy, this is an imposing group.

10. Malcolm Mitchell is still a question mark. We saw the wide receiver working out on the lower rehab fields on the third day, and it was a good sign. But even with that, it remains wise to temper any sort of expectations around his potential production for the 2018 season. The receiver was an impressive short and intermediate option as a rookie in 2016, and was missed at times last year after Julian Edelman went down, at least from a depth perspective. Now, with Edelman facing a possible four-game suspension, his presence would be welcome. Not because of any sort of position conversation, but to provide Brady with another set of trusted hands in the passing game, and someone who could serve as a go-to target in case newcomers like Jordan Matthews or Jeremy Hill can’t seem to connect with Brady.

11. The punter battle is real. Corey Bojorquez was booming punts all over the field over the three days of minicamp. And while we’re not 100 percent sure how he’ll fare if he’s asked to do some directional tuning, it’s clear he has a big enough leg to end up somewhere in the NFL this season. Could he end up being a replacement for Ryan Allen? Only time will tell, but this is on the short list of positional battles to keep an eye on this summer.

12. We’ve done a 180 on Cordarrelle Patterson over the last week. Coming into minicamp, we were unsure of Patterson’s ability to pick up the offense. And if he couldn’t, how would that impact his roster chances? Turns out, he’s going to stick around. Even if he ends up getting only 10-15 snaps as a gadget-type of wide receiver — something he’s been pretty good at over the course of his career — his value as a kick returner will ensure he’ll have a spot. Terrific speed, field vision and confidence are all part of his game. While the Patriots will rotate a handful of bodies through the spot over the summer (including Michel), Patterson is going to be the primary option back there for New England in 2018.

13. That being said, I’d be willing to bet Kenny Britt and/or Phillip Dorsett are going to make the team. Britt looked really good before he went down with what appeared to be a right leg or knee injury midway through Tuesday’s workout. He wasn’t seen again, but it’s not expected to be a serious issue. Prior to that point (as well as in the two OTA practices we saw) Britt was impressive. A big target, Britt looked like he had dropped some weight in hopes of improving his chances this season. He was moving nicely, and caught just about everything in his neighborhood. As for Dorsett, he was running with what appeared to be a reasonable facsimile of the No. 1 offense for much of the three days. If everything breaks right for him, he could be a nice deep threat for this roster as a possible replacement for Brandin Cooks. While neither of these guys necessarily offer a whole lot of special teams value, a good spring and a full offseason in the system certainly have them pointed in the right direction heading into camp next month.