The New England Patriots not too long ago were once the pillars of consistency and excellence in the NFL. But now that both Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are out of the building, it is time for them to begin anew and start to develop a new identity. The 2024 NFL Draft is a great way to start with that. They have the third overall pick in this year's draft and seem poised to draft their new quarterback of the future with that selection.
Of course, things can change at the drop of a hat. The Patriots could trade back, or maybe even go in a different direction with that pick, like at wide receiver or offensive line. Those are two big positions of need for New England, but luckily for them, this is a draft that is deep at those spots. They could use their third overall pick on a quarterback and then look to draft players like Oregon's Troy Franklin and Houston's Patrick Paul later on.
Troy Franklin, Wide Receiver, Oregon
There might not be a bigger sleeper in this loaded 2024 NFL Draft wide receiver class than Troy Franklin.
All Franklin has done the last two seasons is ball out. In 2022, he corralled 61 of the 89 targets slung his direction for 891 yards and nine touchdowns. Last year, he upped his numbers even more by bringing in 81 receptions for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Franklin stepped up in big games as well, including Oregon's regular season tilt against the Washington Huskies where he went for 154 yards and a touchdown on eight catches.
Franklin not only has hefty counting stats working in his favor, but advanced stats paint him in a great light as well. Last season, he posted a 2.69 yards per team pass attempt mark, which is an outstanding number and one of the better averages in this class. He also has a hefty yards-per-route run number in his last two seasons.
Not only does Franklin have the production everyone wants, but he has the athletic measurables too. He is a robust 6-foot-2 and ran a 4.41 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. However, it was revealed at Oregon's Pro Day that Franklin was dealing with the flu in the days leading up to the Combine, which led to him dropping down to 176 pounds. He came in at 184 pounds at his Pro Day.
Franklin's results in the other athletic testing drills were near the top of the wide receiver class as well. He may have played in an explosive offense geared toward putting up numbers, but it is hard to poke holes at him as a prospect. If he slips at all, the Patriots should be ready and eager to pounce on him in the second round.
Jordan Morgan, Offensive Lineman, Arizona
The Patriots need a wide receiver badly. Their leading receiver last season was sixth-round rookie Demario Douglas with just 561 yards. They've also already departed with DeVante Parker. The acquisitions of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton have been massive disappointments. It's a huge position of weakness. But offensive line may be an even more glaring spot New England has to address.
Last season, the Patriots had the worst offensive line in terms of pass block win rate according to ESPN.com. On top of that, they allowed 48 sacks in 2023 the ninth-most sacks in the NFL. And to make matters worse, their starting left tackle last season, Trent Brown, parted ways with the team and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency.
The Patriots have to add to their offensive line through the draft.
Enter Jordan Morgan. Morgan has shined at the University of Arizona and was instrumental in the team's bounce-back 2023 campaign. Through most of that season, he was one of the best offensive tackles in all of college football.
Morgan is a borderline first-round prospect who could fall out of the top 32. If he does, the Patriots would be prudent to swoop in and land him with their 34th overall pick. That would be a home run selection for them if they could pull it off.
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