The New England Patriots are the most unpredictable team on the board in the 2024 NFL draft.
There seems to be a different prediction in every weekly mock draft round-up. This isn’t a situation where it’s a consensus pick of the same one or even two players. There are literally varying opinions on what the Patriots should do with the No. 3 overall pick.
Some believe the Patriots should trade down for more picks, while others are hopeful they’ll consider trading up. There are a plethora of fans that want to see them draft a receiver, while many would prefer they play it safe and take a quarterback.
As one of the mock draft analysts predicts in this piece, there’s also a chance they pass on a quarterback and receiver early for one of the top offensive tackles.
Here’s a full round-up of this week’s mock drafts for the Patriots:
The Athletic
The Athletic’s Chad Graff has the Patriots swinging a Day 1 trade with the Atlanta Falcons to accumulate more draft picks. In this scenario, the Patriots move back to No. 8 and select one of the top-two offensive tackles in the draft, along with swinging a trade with the Chicago Bears for quarterback Justin Fields.
Round 1, Pick No. 8: OT Olu Fashanu, Penn State
This wasn’t the initial plan. I think the Patriots want a quarterback with the third pick, so I was ready to grab Daniels, which is why I rebuffed early offers from the Giants and Falcons, letting them know it would take a silly trade offer to acquire No. 3. And then, well, a silly offer arrived from the Falcons. So we changed course, netted the Falcons’ first-round pick next year plus a second-round pick this year, and then sent our third-round pick to the Bears for Fields. We used the No. 8 pick to grab Fashanu, who fills a massive need at offensive tackle and can help protect our new quarterback.
CBS Sports
CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards has the Patriots taking the safe route and getting their quarterback of the future.
Round 1, Pick No. 3: QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
If someone wanted to argue that New England’s roster is not in a position to drop in a rookie quarterback, I would not push back. To play devil’s advocate, the Patriots have not been in a position to pick this early since 1993, so there is no guarantee they will find themselves in a position to take a quarterback when the time is right.
Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports’ Nate Tice has the Patriots taking the Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 3 overall pick.
Round 1, Pick No. 3: QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
The Patriots are the pivot point of this draft, as they could go with their (new) quarterback of the future or one of the premium talents at a premium position like Marvin Harrison Jr. or one of the talented offensive tackles. I have the Patriots going the quarterback route with the dynamic Daniels, a player who is going to provide instant excitement with his explosive and chaotic play, both with his legs and arm.
New York Post
New York Post’s Steve Serby has the Patriots rebooting their franchise officially with a new quarterback under center.
Round 1, Pick No. 3: QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
New coach Jerod Mayo gets the 6-foot-4, 230-pound prototype that the former HC of the NEP would have loved in order to chase that elusive seventh Lombardi Trophy.
NFL.com
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has the Patriots getting a veteran quarterback and taking arguably the best offensive playmaker in the entire draft.
Round 1, Pick No. 3: WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
In this scenario, the Patriots go the veteran route to fill the need at quarterback, which frees them up to trade the No. 3 overall pick or take the uber-talented Harrison.
247 Sports
247 Sports’ Blake Brockermeyer has the Patriots moving on from Mac Jones and taking one of the top quarterbacks on the draft board.
Round 1, Pick No. 3: QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
Daniels maxed out his last season and was the best player in the country without a doubt. The LSU product excelled as not only a passer but as a dynamic runner who can extend plays with his legs when needed. At No. 3, Daniels gives the Patriots a chance to upgrade at quarterback. The Patriots need to move on from Mac Jones, and need a new face for the franchise and a more capable option under center.
Daniels will bring the complete package to New England. He pairs great athleticism with a wealth of experience. He plays with composure and rarely gets flustered.
NBC Sports
NBC Sports’ Eric Froton has the Patriots finally addressing their wide receiver problem in a big way.
Round 1, Pick No. 3: WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
What better way to overcome the Patriots 25-year streak of striking out on first round wide receivers than to select the son of their hated #Deflategate rivals in Colts’ HOF WR Marvin Harrison Sr? If the Patriots once again ascend to the Super Bowl winning heights of their golden era with MHJ leading the way, the collective #schadenfreude of the Patriots Nation could reach previously unforeseen obnoxiousness. And that’s saying something. I just couldn’t pull the trigger on Daniels over a sure thing like Harrison Jr, though new HC Jerrod Mayo and company could certainly go in that direction.
33rd Team
33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher has the Patriots trusting in Drake Maye as the first official draft pick of the Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf era.
Round 1, Pick No. 3: QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
Of the top three picks, this is the most likely selection to be traded because the New England Patriots have significant needs on both sides of the ball and have a lot of needs outside of just quarterback. But Drake Maye is too good of a prospect to pass up and can be a cornerstone in Year 1 of the rebuild.
Draft Network
Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler has the Patriots passing on a trade-back scenario and selecting one of the most dynamic young playmakers in the game at quarterback.
Round 1, Pick No. 3: QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
While a trade-back is becoming increasingly possible as the weeks churn on, starting fresh with a dynamic talent like Jayden Daniels is an excellent start to the process under newly minted head coach Jerod Mayo. The Patriots need to add talent around Daniels, but getting him in the building is absolutely a start.
Patriots Wire
Patriots Wire’s Jordy McElroy has the Patriots avoiding the urge to overthink things and taking a quarterback with the No. 3 pick.
Round 1, Pick No. 3: QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
There’s no need to overthink things at this spot in the draft.
The Patriots did a lot of losing in 2023, and it almost still wasn’t enough to get them into the top-three picks on the draft board. These kinds of opportunities don’t come along often, and this draft has three undeniable top-three options at quarterback.
There’s no running an offense efficiently without the right player under center. The Patriots finally get their guy in this draft with North Carolina’s Drake Maye slipping on the board behind Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. There are enough Justin Herbert-like traits about Maye to make him an incredibly appealing quarterback prospect for New England.
