The 2024 NFL Draft is just hours away, and it's safe to say that this could be a make or break draft for the New England Patriots. Armed with the third overall pick, the Patriots need to nail every decision they make starting on Thursday night if they intend on reestablishing themselves in the wildly competitive AFC East division.
The Pats have some clear needs heading into the draft. They ended their Mac Jones experiment earlier this offseason when they traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars, so finding their quarterback of the future is obviously a clear need. Beyond that, it feels like wide receiver and offensive tackle are positions that will be addressed fairly early in the draft.
Still, with rumors of a potential trade down from the third overall pick, it feels like anything could happen for New England on Thursday night. So with a massive set of decisions set to get made over the next few days that will shape the future of the franchise, let's take a look at three last-minute bold predictions for the Pats ahead of this pivotal draft.
Patriots will trade down in the second round
While all eyes are obviously on the Patriots and what they do with the third overall pick on Thursday night, they also have a pair of high picks in the second round (34th overall) and third round (68th overall) on Day 2. With just one selection in every round except the sixth round, where they have two picks, it feels like New England will be looking to trade down to add some more picks at some point in this draft.
The second rounder feels like a strong pick that the Patriots could move off of in an effort to pick up another pick or two for later in the draft. The 34th overall pick is the second selection of the second round, so that's almost as good as a late first-round pick in terms of draft pick valuation. If a team desperately wants a player early in the second round, New England is in a great spot to move off this pick and add some draft capital in the process.
Given the needs this team has, they will certainly be hoping to swap second round picks with whatever team they trade with, while also potentially picking up another third-round selection in this year's draft. That would give the Pats flexibility to either add multiple players to an offense that desperately needs an infusion of talent, or even potentially move back into the second round if they see a player they like falling down the board.
Patriots will draft two wide receivers on Day 2
Following the aforementioned prediction that the Patriots will trade down from the 34th overall pick, it would make sense for the team to double up on wide receiver on Day 2 if they find themselves armed with three or more picks. After striking out on Calvin Ridley in free agency, this spot is still severely lacking talent, so it's not as if they can draft one guy early and be done adding at this spot.
Pretty much all of the top wide receivers would make sense for New England, but Keon Coleman of Florida State stands out as an ideal fit for them. Coleman is a bigger receiver who can play on the outside and stretch the field vertically, which is precisely what the Pats need after they mercifully decided to move on from DeVante Parker earlier this offseason.
Coleman will likely be drafted early in the second round, so if the Patriots can trade down and stay under the 40th overall pick mark, they should have a decent shot to nab him. There will be several options at wide receiver in the third round, but Ja'Lynn Polk from Washington is a guy who stands out thanks to his versatility and strong route-running. This is all contingent on moving down to add picks, but picking up two wide receivers may just be New England's best course of action at this spot.
Patriots will draft Drake Maye with the third overall pick
While they are picking third in the first round, all eyes are on New England heading into this draft. The Chicago Bears are going to draft Caleb Williams with the first overall pick, and it sounds like Jayden Daniels will be going to the Washington Commanders with the second overall pick. Of course, the latter pick isn't exactly set in stone, which is why there's so much intrigue surrounding the Pats.
The Patriots could either draft the best remaining quarterback available (either Daniels or Drake Maye) or trade down to accrue a massive haul of picks in return. New England is open to moving down, but it sounds like they haven't gotten any offers that come remotely close to what they are looking for in order to move off of this pick.
Assuming that sort of deal doesn't come through, the Pats will stay put and pick their quarterback of the future. Who that ends up being, though, is as good as anyone's guess. Daniels and Maye are the top options behind Williams, but rumors keep on linking New England to J.J. McCarthy, or even Michael Penix Jr., so there's no telling who they will select if they pick here at three.
The most logical option seems to be drafting Maye, who is a bit raw, but has tons of upside, and it says here that's precisely what New England will do. Maye is an athletic quarterback who can take off on the ground when plays don't develop, but he also has great arm strength, the ability to make throws from all angles and to all distances, and exceptional accuracy and velocity when he slings the ball.
McCarthy and Penix are exceptional prospects, but they don't have the upside Maye possesses. There's no sense overthinking this pick, and if the Commanders end up flipping the script and select him over Daniels, simply pivot and take Daniels instead at three. But chances are Maye will be the guy there for the taking at three, and if that's the case, the Patriots should select him as their new quarterback of the future.
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