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With the initial week of free agency in the rearview mirror, attention turns to next month’s NFL Draft. It’s no secret this is arguably the most meaningful New England Patriots draft in decades. What they do with the No. 3 pick will chart the course for the team for the next five years.
All indications are that the Pats prefer to keep the No. 3 pick and use it to select their next quarterback. But who knows whether a shocking offer from a team like the Minnesota Vikings (maybe three first-rounders and a second for No. 3?) could change that plan.
For this mock draft, we’ll stay away from trades. Stay tuned, though, for a beat writer mock draft later this week in which I take a different approach.
The biggest regret from this mock draft was not landing a defensive lineman, but it does serve to get the offense a lot of help. Let’s dive into the eight picks.
GO DEEPER
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Round 1, No. 3: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
The Patriots are in a weird spot where they’re left to take whichever quarterback falls to them at No. 3 if — as they’ve indicated — they want to hold on to the pick and draft a quarterback. So the pick here is Maye with the assumption that Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels went No. 1 and No. 2. Maye has good size and a massive arm. He lost his top receivers after his more productive freshman year in 2022 and had to force things a bit last season as a sophomore. Perhaps that was good preparation for New England, though, since whoever the Patriots pick will be joining a mediocre offense and likely will have to create on his own. Maye has a stronger arm and is probably a better overall passer than Daniels, but he’s not as good of a runner.
Drake Maye put on a show in @UNCFootball‘s 40-7 win over Syracuse 🎯
🔥 442 Pass Yds
🔥 55 Rush Yds
🔥 4 Total TD pic.twitter.com/ccrwEUqt2s— ACC Network (@accnetwork) October 7, 2023
Round 2, No. 34: Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
If the Pats stick with the third pick and take a quarterback, this selection should be an offensive tackle or a wide receiver. If Adonai Mitchell is available, he’ll probably be the pick. But for this mock draft, we’ll say he went in the first round (though you could argue it’s worth moving up to get him). Regardless, we went with Suamataia to become, ideally, a plug-and-play left tackle. After an impressive combine, the 6-foot-5, 330-pound Suamataia set himself up to be a top-40 pick and would fill an obvious need for the Patriots.
Round 3, No. 68: Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
Polk doesn’t have the numbers or athletic profile of his college teammate Rome Odunze, a projected top-10 pick, but he put up big numbers opposite him and has the size to play on the outside. The Patriots need to get better at throwing the ball to the outside, and Polk could help. He ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, so he doesn’t have game-changing speed, but he was dominant for the Huskies, posting 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games last season.
Round 4, No. 103: Javon Baker, WR, UCF
If the Pats don’t land a wide receiver with either of their first two picks, they’ll probably need to double up shortly after, which is what we’ve done here. Baker is another receiver with good size, which I figured is worth double-dipping on since Kendrick Bourne, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Demario Douglas and K.J. Osborn can play in the slot. Baker started his career at Alabama, but limited playing time led to his transfer to UCF, where he put up 1,139 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season.
GO DEEPER
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Round 5, No. 137: Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State
Even after re-signing Hunter Henry and adding backup Austin Hooper, tight end is still a position of need for the Patriots and an area to target with a Day 3 pick. Sinnott is more of a pass catcher than a run blocker, which likely wouldn’t lead to much playing time in 2024 behind Henry and Hooper, but he would be a nice developmental option to replace Hooper next season.
Round 6, No. 180: Kamal Hadden, CB, Tennessee
Cornerback is an under-discussed need for the Patriots since (1) two of their top options — Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones — are coming off injury and (2) Gonzalez is their only true outside corner worthy of a starting job. Hadden is coming off a season-ending shoulder injury, so there will be some medical questions. But he could be an underrated target late in the draft.
Round 6, No. 193: Jase McClellan, RB, Alabama
Antonio Gibson gives the Patriots a third-down running back who can take on a bigger role if Rhamondre Stevenson gets hurt, but they could still use more depth at the position. That could lead them to McClellan, Alabama’s starting back last season. He was the backup to Jahmyr Gibbs in 2022 (and averaged 5.8 yards per carry), then took over the role full-time last season and totaled a team-high 890 rushing yards on 180 carries.
Round 7, No. 231: C.J. Hanson, G, Holy Cross
A defensive lineman would be a good idea here, but it would’ve felt a little weird to finish this mock draft without adding depth to the interior of the offensive line. The interior is pretty much set now (Cole Strange at left guard, David Andrews at center and Sidy Sow at right guard with Atonio Mafi as the backup), but a developmental option who could be stashed on the practice squad wouldn’t hurt. Hanson was a team captain who started all 26 games for the Crusaders during his junior and senior years.
(Photo: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
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