Full 7-round 2024 NFL mock draft: Blockbuster trade helps Patriots address major needs
Everyone is assuming the New England Patriots take a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft. That appears to be the most likely scenario, but there’s also the possibility the team goes in the roster building direction before reaching for a new signal-caller.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. Any rookie quarterback is going to have a rough go under center for a Patriots team severely lacking in offensive talent at receiver and on the offensive line.
The Patriots might want to avoid another Mac Jones situation by simply focusing their resources at other positions, while utilizing a bridge quarterback for the time being. Whether that bridge quarterback is Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe or an experienced veteran, like Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins, is an argument for another day.
But this mock draft explores the possibility of a trade down by New England to accumulate more picks and fix other trouble spots on their roster. Here’s an updated full seven-round 2024 NFL mock draft for the Patriots:
TRADE! Round 1, Pick No. 8: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
The Patriots trade down in this mock draft with the Atlanta Falcons, swapping their No. 3 pick with Atlanta’s first-round pick, second-round pick and a 2025 first-round pick. It’s a major haul that puts the Patriots in position to address serious holes on the roster.
Offensive line is obviously a big need, but at this point, the best available player on the board was Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, who would be a major upgrade to New England’s moribund offense. This is basically a two-for-one special with Bowers being a high-end receiver in a tight end’s body.
Just one look at the two teams involved in the Super Bowl is proof that the tight end position carries significant value on the elite end of the spectrum. Bowers has the talent to one day be mentioned alongside the best in the game, like Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and San Francisco’s George Kittle.
All of the Patriots’ rostered tight ends have contracts coming due in the offseason, and it’s time to add a talented, long-term option for the future.
Round 2, Pick No. 34: Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
The Patriots kick off their first of two second-round draft picks by addressing offensive tackle, which is arguably the biggest need on their roster. No more picking offensive guards and attempting to mold them at positions they don’t feel comfortable playing.
New England takes a true tackle with the No. 34 pick by selecting Jordan Morgan out of Arizona. Morgan has a powerful presence along the offensive front with the athleticism to match some of the more freakish pass-rushers in the NFL.
He’s a first-round talent caught up in one of the deepest draft classes for offensive linemen in recent memory.
Round 2, Pick No. 43: Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
Some are probably already giving this mock draft the stink eye with the Patriots using the second-round pick they got from the Falcons on a defensive player. But they do need EDGE help, and Penn State’s Chop Robinson is a tremendous defensive playmaker.
As the saying goes, you can never have enough pass-rushers in the NFL. Robinson is an immediate impact player capable of playing on every down. In 2022 alone, he posted 10 tackles for a loss, while notching 5.5 sacks under his belt. He could be a real force on the Patriots’ already powerful defensive front that would be full of game-wreckers in 2024.
Round 3, Pick No. 68: Ja'Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
The Tyquan Thornton experiment hasn’t worked out, and JuJu Smith-Schuster has been dealing with chronic knee issues. Kendrick Bourne is also on an expiring contract and coming off a torn ACL. So the Patriots take another shot at a playmaking receiver by drafting Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk in the third round.
Polk would give them a versatile option capable of playing both outside and inside. However, his precise route-running might be the true eye-grabber for New England considering timing and separation issues doomed their receiving corps throughout the 2023 season.
Round 4, Pick No. 103: Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale
Kiran Amegadjie would be looked at much differently on a draft board, if he didn’t spend his entire collegiate career playing for an Ivy League school. That’s all fine and dandy for the Patriots, who take advantage of the rest of the league’s uncertainty and likely come away with a steal with this pick.
Amegadjie is a behemoth of a human being with rare athleticism for a man his size. The 6-foot-5, 318-pound lineman could help solidify an offensive front for the Patriots that has made a living relying on backups and over-the-hill veterans. They double down with great effectiveness by getting both Amegadjie and Jordan Morgan.
Round 5, Pick No. 135: Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama
After doubling down at tackle, the Patriots do the same at wide receiver by selecting Alabama’s Jermaine Burton in the fifth round. This might be the most intriguing pick on the list. Burton has the kind of ridiculous straight-line speed that can blow the roof right off a defense.
He’s the sort of electric playmaker that commands attention every time he’s on the field. That’s the kind of difference-maker the Patriots need to jolt life back into their offense. In a sense, Burton could be everything the Patriots wanted Tyquan Thornton to be.
Round 6, Pick No. 181: Will Reichard, K, Alabama
Chad Ryland kicking field goals feels like a full-blown anxiety attack every single time. The Patriots made the mistake of trading up in the fourth round to get their kicker in 2023. However, this time, they wait until the sixth round to take arguably the top kicker in all of college football in Alabama’s Will Reichard.
Anyone from Tuscaloosa would tell you Reichard was money for the Crimson Tide all season in the most high-pressure moments. He was 22-of-25 on field goal kicks and a perfect 55-of-55 on extra points in 2023. It’s no doubt that the Patriots needed to get younger at kicker, but they have to do better than Ryland—or at the very least, force him to compete for a roster spot.
Round 7, Pick No. 228: Rasheen Ali, RB, Marshall
The Patriots likely aren’t bringing Ezekiel Elliott back for a second season, unless it’s on a discount. That isn’t a knock on Elliott, who was great for the team in 2023, but keeping him for another year is a premium the Patriots might not be able to afford, particularly when there are more pressing needs on the roster.
Marshall’s Rasheen Ali makes sense as the final pick of the draft. The Patriots already have Rhamondre Stevenson, and Kevin Harris has shown he’s ready to take the next step as a backup. Ali would give the Patriots a much-needed third-down receiving option out of the backfield.
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