For fans of the New England Patriots, this April's NFL Draft is the most highly anticipated in recent history. New England hasn't had a top-10 pick since 2008 when they selected now-head coach Jerod Mayo.
New England's priorities this offseason are clearly on offense, where they ranked among the league's worst in points per game (tied for last), yards per game (30th), and passing yards per game (28th).
The Patriots' 2024 draft will look to right some of Bill Belichick's wrongs, including fixing a lack of explosiveness and play-making ability.
With that in mind, here are the players (for all seven rounds) that could hear their name called by the Patriots in Detroit in only two short months.
1. First Round (3rd Overall): Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
For the first time since 1993, the New England Patriots will draft within the top three. Just like in 1993 when they selected Drew Bledsoe, New England should use their selection on their next franchise quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
Daniels, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, broke out in 2023 as an electrifying dual threat. Through the air, Daniels completed 72.2 percent of passes for 3,812 yards and 40 scores, while only throwing four interceptions.
On the ground, he carried the ball 138 times for 1,134 times and 10 touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards per rush. It is also worth noting that sacks count against quarterback rushing yards in college, which makes his numbers even more staggering. Don't mistake Daniels' 2023 season as a flash in the pan, his 2022 numbers are solid too and he even impressed as a true freshman in 2019 at Arizona State.
He is incredibly responsible with the football, only throwing 20 picks on1,438 passing attempts in his career. He throws a great deep ball and is a premium passer at the second and third levels, but he needs to hone his short game, as his average velocity can prevent him at times from fitting the ball into tight windows. His athleticism and ability to run shouldn't mislead the fans either. Out of his 40 touchdown throws, he threw 35 of those touchdowns from the pocket.
The general consensus is that Daniels will have to learn how to protect himself better, as he takes too many unwarranted shots, and his slimmer frame isn't built for that contact either. Daniels checks in at 6'4", 210 pounds.
Mac Jones is reportedly New England, and Bailey Zappe is surely not an NFL-caliber starting quarterback. Daniels is the third-ranked quarterback, with Caleb Williams and Drake Maye expected to be selected at first and second overall, respectively.
Daniels' athleticism is exciting from a fan's perspective, especially for a franchise that has had pocket passers under center for so many years.
2. Second Round (34th Overall): Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Wide receiving is one of the most glaring needs on New England's roster this offseason. The entire Patriots' wide receiving corps combined for 175 receptions for 1,909 yards and five touchdowns.
Granted that underwhelming quarterback play undoubtedly hamstrung the offense's output, Jalen Reagor and a washed-up DeVante Parker didn't exactly instill fear in opposing secondaries. Surrounding new franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels with impact talent will be also paramount to the young signal caller's development.
Mitchell started his collegiate career at Georgia as a three-star recruit, but he impressed immediately with his ability to break into a loaded offense with the likes of Brock Bowers, George Pickens, and Jermaine Burton as the Bulldogs marched to a 14-1 season and a national championship.
Adonai Mitchell transferred to Texas after his sophomore season and blossomed under Steve Sarkisian's offense. With the Longhorns, Mitchell hauled in 55 catches for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games as Texas earned a College Football Playoff berth. He declared for the draft following their semifinal loss to the Washington Huskies.
Per Pro Football Network, Mitchell possesses "elite route-running upside and big-play ability". Bleacher Report also highlights Mitchell's vertical threat, something that New England has historically lacked. Quite simply, no one on New England's roster right now offers that skillset. He projects as an outside receiver, which ideally the Patriots could pair with DeMario Douglas in the slot if Douglas can continue to build upon the flashes he showed in his 2023 rookie campaign.
Mitchell won't turn 22 until October and has good size at 6'4".
3. Third Round (68th Overall): Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale
In the third round, New England keeps a New England college product from having to go far. Yale left tackle Kiran Amegadjie checks in at a whopping 6'5", 326 pounds.
After not allowing a single sack at left tackle in 2022 and earning All-Ivy league honors, Amegadjie's 2023 campaign was cut short following only four games due to a season-ending quad injury. He is widely expected to be the first FCS player selected in this April's draft.
Talent evaluators likely would have wanted a greater sample size from Amegadjie this season, but his lack of 2023 tape could also help him slide further down draft boards than he should have (and the Patriots could get a steal in the third round).
In 2021, Amegadjie also started every game at right guard and performed at an All-Ivy league level, so that does also grant the Patriots some flexibility if they need to shuffle the offensive line (as they did so many times this season).
The Patriots could very easily have to replace both offensive tackles heading into 2024. Trent Brown's relationship with the team was nothing short of tumultuous this season, although perhaps Jerod Mayo taking over for Bill Belichick extends an olive branch to the veteran.
Meanwhile at right tackle, the outlook on Mike Onwenu's future in New England is bleak, as "The Patriots essentially know Onwenu isn’t coming back" per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. There aren't really any in-house options to fill those pending departures in-house.
He's not Joe Alt at third overall, but Amegadjie has the tools to be an impact player at the NFL level.
4. Fourth Round (103rd Overall): Bucky Irving, RB, Oregon
After utilizing it as a staple in their offense for such a long stretch of their dynasty run, the Patriots have inexplicably gone away from receiving/third-down backs in recent years. For years, New England tapped into the skillsets of backs such as James White, Rex Burkhead, Danny Woodhead, Dion Lewis, and Shane Vereen to pressure opposing defenses with receiving threats out of their backfield.
Well, Oregon back Bucky Irving could inherit that archetype in Van Pelt's new offense. From Pro Football Network, "Irving is a strong receiving presence as a back or can be flexed into the slot and run legitimate routes" and possess "great explosiveness" that empowers him to produce as a "hyper-efficient playmaker who can take any single carry to the house from anywhere on the field."
At 5'10", 195 pounds, Irving's frame does register towards that undersized label that many of the aforementioned Patriots backs also had. Ezekiel Elliott likely has one foot out of the door, and Rhamondre Stevenson has been productive but will be coming off of a season-ending injury.
Once again returning to the objective of supporting Daniels, having a playmaking back that he can check down to when necessary should also help alleviate some pressure.
Stevenson should continue to receive the lion's share of carries while Irving slides into the third down/receiving back role.
In 2023, Irving ran the ball 186 times for 1,180 yards at an impressive 6.3 yards per carry and 11 scores. On the receiving end, he caught 56 passes for 413 yards (7.4 yards per catch) and two scores. The former Duck is a player that Patriots fans should be able to get excited about.
5. Fifth Round (135th Overall): Cade Stover, TE, Ohio State
Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki are both pending free agents and could very easily be out of the door. Even if Gesicki hangs around, he is a liability in the blocking game.
Stover caught 41 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns for the Buckeyes this season. His 6'4", 251 pound frame "allows him to play both on and off the ball comfortably". As a pass-catcher, Stover has "Great hand-eye coordination and firm hands. Regularly makes high-difficulty receptions in traffic and adjusts to the ball well." Stover is also an impact player in the blocking game as a "strong and willing blocker".
Stover should slide in as another weapon for Daniels while also contributing to the blocking game.
6. Sixth Round (181st Overall): D.J. James, CB, Auburn
The only defensive player on this list, James began his collegiate career at Oregon before transferring to Auburn, earning significant playing time at both stops.
From Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department:
"James is an intriguing prospect who has the desired length and speed to play the position in the NFL. He will need to continue to work on filling out his frame and increasing his functional strength, but he has the skills to build on. James is a high-level developmental prospect who has the potential to be a contributor early in his NFL career."BR's NFL Scouting Department
There are a ton of question marks in the cornerback room. Myles Bryant will be hitting free agency, promising rookie Christian Gonzalez is coming off of a season-ending Week 4 injury, Marcus Jones hasn't shown a ton of reliability in pass coverage (and also suffered a season-ending injury), and J.C. Jackson has been engulfed in reliability concerns. James should provide some additional depth and youth at the position.
7. Seventh Round (228th Overall) via Chicago Bears: Ethan Driskell, OT, Marshall
Driskell is a 6'8" behemoth at right tackle and will be a project, but at least an investment in his development should be a better alternative than running it back with Riley Reiff or Conor McDermott.
Once again operating under the assumption that Trent Brown and Onwenu will not be returning to New England next season, the Patriots need to invest in the trenches. If Driskell is starting Week 1, then you're probably in trouble, but New England would be foolish to not have insurance on the line after a disastrous performance as a unit this season.
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