With the NFL draft less than 20 days out, the Patriots have put themselves in a good (not perfect) spot before they make this year's No. 3 overall selection, barring a late trade-out. They largely kept one of the best defenses in the sport intact, notably only losing Myles Bryant, Mack Wilson, and Jalen Mills while adding a couple of very good down-the-order pieces in Sione Takitaki and Armon Watts.
Even with that said and done, they still need their long-term answer at quarterback (again), a Trent Brown replacement, and a true No. 1 outside receiver after they swung and missed on now Tennessee Ttan Calvin Ridley. So, here's how the Patriots can best position themselves in this bridge year and moving forward.
NOTE: All Trade Values are based on the Rich Hill Model (trade values marked as such)
My List of Patriots' Team Needs Ranked:
1st - Quarterback
2nd - Boundary/X Wide Reciever
3rd - Left Tackle
4th - Boundary Cornerback Depth
5th - Safety with Upside Working as a Single-High
2024 New England Patriots Team NFL Mock Draft 2.0
Round 1, Pick 3) New England Patriots - Drake Maye, QB (UNC)
With the discourse surrounding the UNC product being stabilized for a bit now, his floor in this draft is QB3 (where I have him ranked fractionally behind Jayden Daniels), and his ceiling is through the roof. His combination of prototypical size, arm talent, mobility, and playmaking ability would be tough to pass up, even with some mechanical woes that he still needs to work on. Never mind that Maye can call his own protections already and did a lot of good at North Carolina without much help these last two years, mainly just a year of Josh Downs and another of Tez Walker.
Now, I think the Patriots, more so than any of the teams in the top three, in addition to the Minnesota Vikings, are in the best spot to sit a quarterback in year one, and that's entirely due to the presence of Jacoby Brissett. They're objectively not competing for a Championship this year; the year on the bench would give Maye the opportunity the extended time necessary to go into year two as a starter with a much better understanding of things than he would have had he just been thrown into the deep end right away. This would also give him the time to perfect his throwing motion and footwork as it relates to passing.
Round 2, Pick 34) Adonai Mitchell, WR (Texas)
A couple of things here can be true. Do I think Mitchell will be here at Pick 34? Personally, not a chance. However, if he is, that selection card is being sent in the microsecond the Patriots are officially on the clock.
Mitchell has the build of a typical NFL X receiver, unparalleled route-running ability for a guy his size, and has better hands than some guys ahead of him on consensus (namely the two LSU receivers, in my opinion). I would trade up to get him, no questions asked, but if he can fall to 34, I would not complain.
Should Mitchell be out of the equation and the Patriots want to go receiver here, here are some names to monitor: Georgia's Ladd McConkey, South Carolina's Xavier Legette, and Roman Wilson out of Michigan. I'd also mention Florida State's Keon Coleman, but I think his boom/bust range is considerable enough to take him off the board.
TRADE
Patriots Receive: Pick 57 and a 2025 seventh-round pick (97)
Buccaneers Receive: Picks 68, 137, and 231 and a 2025 fifth-round pick (97)
Round 2, Pick 57 (via Tampa Bay Buccaneers) Kiran Amegadjie, OT (Yale)
Seeing as the Patriots got my top (realistic) receiver option to fall into their lap, the idea now turns to aggressively trying to secure a franchise left tackle, knocking out their top three needs as quickly as possible. Kiran Amegadjie is a fascinating prospect to me, not just because he has some decent hype coming out of the Ivy League, but looking strictly at his measurables, he's comparable to Paris Johnson Jr., who went No. 6 overall in last year's NFL Draft, and widely considered that year's top pure tackle prospect.
Now, the catch here is that Amegadjie did miss close to all of the 2023 college slate with a quad injury he got surgery for, but he was highly regarded going into the year, being put on the FCS All-Amercian and Senior Bowl watchlists. Another nugget is this: Amegadjie is an understudy of former NFL offensive tackle Willie Anderson, who had a four-year run of making an All-Pro and Pro Bowl team (3x First-Team All-Pro) from 2003-2006. This is a guy I'd make this trade for every time, especially since the Packers, who were up after the Bucs here, hadn't yet selected a tackle (My belief is they take one at Pick 25, but that's neither here nor there).
TRADE
Patriots Receive: Picks 113 and 165 (36)
Ravens Receive: Pick 103 (33)
Patriots Receive: Picks 124, 135, and a 2025 fourth-round pick (47)
49ers Receive: Picks 113, 165, and 180 (44)
Round 4, Pick 124 (via San Francisco 49ers) Mo Kamara, EDGE (Colorado State)
Much to my surprise, the Patriots kept Josh Uche around and on about the most team-friendly deal you'll ever see at that. Even so, he and Matt Judon are now on expiring deals, and the Patriots trying to get ahead of that in the draft wouldn't be a surprise.
Mo Kamara isn't typically what the Patriots have liked off the edge in years past. Still, he was the only edge rusher they formally met with at the combine, so I'd imagine there is/was some level of interest on New England's part. Now, why would Kamara not fit their build in years past? At 6'1 3/8" and 248 lbs, he's historically small for his position. However, he's essentially a more explosive and athletic version of a notable Colorado State product from 10 years ago (and a guy Bill Belichick reportedly tried for a few years to pry from the Broncos via trade), Shaq Barrett. Especially after a trade-down, I would call this a win for the Patriots, even if it might not show up right away.
Round 4, Pick 135 (via San Francisco 49ers) Jarrian Jones, CB (Florida State)
While getting a boundary cornerback with size would be the ideal outcome, the Patriots have had success with Jonathan and Marcus Jones on the outside in spots, and at 135, there weren't many boundary guys who piqued my interest. Hence, we go with Florida State slot corner Jarrain Jones, who isn't exactly small at 6'0". Tackling was apparently an issue, and there's some fundamental stuff at the LOS he needs help on, but that's where you lean on Mike Pellegrino and coach him along.
TRADE
Patriots Receive: Picks 202 and 219 (8)
Ravens Receive: Pick 193 (6)
Round 6, Pick 202 (via Green Bay Packers) Malik Mustapha, SAF (Wake Forest)
While Malik Mustapha doesn't check off the need for a safety with single high upside, he's another guy who is uber-athletic and has the upside down in the box to be a perfect pick for the Patriots as a depth option behind Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers. It also helps that the Pats have met with the Demon Deacon product twice so far, at his Pro Day and the Senior Bowl. Mustapha didn't athletically test at the combine, but he has a build similar to that of Mike Edwards and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
Round 6, Pick 219 (via Green Bay Packers) Jalen Coker, WR (Holy Cross)
We don't have to go too far for this last pick; just a hop away in Worcester, where we can find Crusaders' product Jalen Coker. Just over a month ago, Steve Smith Sr. called him this class' best route runner, and having watched some of his work from 2023 recently, his catch radius and hands jump out immediately. They could do much worse here with this last pick; try to get as much receiver depth as possible.
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