3 Patriots Who Will Be Replaced on Day 2 of the NFL Draft
By Cem Yolbulan
The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books and the New England Patriots finally have their quarterback of the future. Drake Maye will be the new face of the franchise, trying to bring the Patriots back to winning ways after he was selected with the third-overall pick. The fun part of the draft, however, starts now.
Friday night will have the rounds 2 and 3 of the draft. The Patriots will be on the clock early, with the second pick of the night. They also have the 68th overall selection. They will likely continue to address their needs on the offensive side of the ball. There could also be trades to acquire more selections or draft picks changing hands.
Regardless of what happens, there will be a few Patriots who will likely be replaced tonight. Let's take a look.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
The Patriots' receiver rotation already looks much better than it did a few months ago. They added KJ Osborn in free agency, Kendrick Bourne will be healthy again, and DeMario Douglas will improve after he showed flashes in his rookie season. This will hopefully push JuJu Smith-Schuster down the depth chart already.
However, the Patriots will still likely draft another WR. The improved receiver corps doesn't mean that it's sufficient. New England will have to give Drake Maye more options if they want to see their rookie signal-caller thrive. This means that a more dynamic playmaker than the Patriots currently have should be targeted in Day 2.
Wideout prospects like Adonai Mitchell of Texas, Ladd McConkey of Georgia, and Keon Coleman of Florida State are still on the board. If the Patriots select one of these names with their second-round selection, Smith-Schuster's days in Foxborough may be numbered.