After two decades of incredible success borderline unparalleled in the NFL, the New England Patriots officially said goodbye to Bill Belichick. He is one of the winningest men in football history and the coach who nearly singlehandedly ruined football for an entire generation of New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills fans.
With an exit that large, it's safe to say Year 1 won't be some magical turnaround that sees the team return to the Super Bowl once more, as the team's roster remains a work in progress at most positions, but with a new coaching staff comes the potential for changes across the board, with the potential for a new generation of Patriots to establish themselves as building blocks for the storied franchise moving forward, including a collegiate tackle with very big shoes to fill and a fast-rising wide receiver who wouldn't look out of place catching passes from TB12 back during the golden days.
These rookies could be players for the New England Patriots in 2024.
2. Caedan Wallace will push Chukwuma Okorafor at LT
After letting once and potentially future offensive tackle Trent Brown leave New England once more for the greener pastures of Cincinnati, Ohio, the Patriots find themselves in need of a new left tackle in the short and long term, with the former Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Chukwuma Okorafor signed in free agency to help fill the void left by the massive mauler from Florida.
On paper, that signing likely could have worked, as Okorafor is a fine veteran with 59 starts over 77 professional appearances under his belt, but unless he seriously elevates his game and transformed himself into a legitimate Pro Bowler under NE's new administration, it's worth wondering if the front office will be identifiy tackle as a position of need once more in 2025, both in free agency and the draft.
… that is, unless Caedan Wallace is able to make the drive from Happy Valley to Foxboro and translate his talents from one blue and white to another right away as a rookie.
Standing 6-foot-5, 314 pounds with massive 10.75-inch hands and a 116-inch broad jump, marks that land him in the 90th and 96th percentiles according to Mockdraftable, Wallace was an intriguing tackle on one of the better teams in the Big 10 East, even if he was largely overlooked by his teammate, Olu Fashanu, by the national media. While his game may not be as effective as Fashanu's, he was still impressive enough to come off the board at pick 68, and unlike many of the tackles selected in that range, he might actually push for a starting spot, depending on how camp shakes out.
Will Wallace start in Week 1? No, not unless Okorafor is very bad or he plays very well, but who knows, by mid-season, maybe the team will make a switch, and Wallace could become the next great New England mid-round success story.
1. Ja'Lynn Polk will push Kendrick Bourne and JuJu Smith-Schuster
Heading into the offseason, the Patriots were linked to many of the top wide receivers in free agency, the draft, and even via trade, with some suggesting they could acquire Brandon Aiyuk or AJ Brown and others hoping they would trade down with Minnesota and use one of their picks on a receiver like Brian Thomas Jr. and the other on a quarterback like JJ McCarthy instead of standing pat at three for Drake Maye.
Instead, New England stood pat and at pick 37, they filled the need with one of the biggest risers of the testing process in Ja'Lynn Polk, one of Michael Pittman Jr's favorite targets at Washington.
Standing 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, Polk isn't a burner or a traditional bog-bodied X receiver who wins with size instead of technique, but despite having played much of his college career against PAC-12 competition, the three-star recruit proved himself the type of player the Patriots have been drafting for the last 20 or so years, a smart, savvy technician who can play all over the offense, make good decisions with the ball in his hand, and ultimately serve as a safety blanket for a rookie quarterback who needs steady hands on third down.
Is Polk guaranteed a starting spot for the Patriots this fall? No, not necessarily, but even with solid veterans like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kendrick Bourne already on the roster, it's worth wondering how much the coaching staff will intentionally turn to Polk if things are even enough between the two parties, as he and Maybe could be the sort of long-term offensive paring the team hasn't had since what, Julian Edelman and Tom Brady a half-decade ago?
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