The New England Patriots are fresh off Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, leading them to a Super Bowl, and he did so incredibly, getting virtually no help from the rest of his draft class.
One of this team's most prominent 2024 additions was offensive lineman Caedan Wallace, though the franchise has just given up on him.
The Patriots released Wallace, who was picked No. 68 overall in 2024, before the preseason even started. This is only the latest embarrassment for their once-promising draft class with Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf installed as the power structure. Without Maye, this appears to be all-time bad.
Only Maye and sixth-round cornerback Marcellas Dial Jr., who missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL and faces long odds to make the final 53-man roster, are still with New England after just two seasons.
If Maye wasn't immediately one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, the hole this franchise dug for itself may have been too deep to climb out of.
New England Patriots QB Drake Maye saved franchise after horrible 2024 NFL Draft
Wallace started just two games in his Patriots career. The Penn State product, who was viewed as a mid-Day 3 target by many analysts and widely considered a huge reach when he was picked, has been ravaged by injuries. However, in his limited playing time, he never looked good enough to warrant any additional developmental runway.
Ja'Lynn Polk was selected 37th overall (three picks before Cooper DeJean) with the thought that he would be one of Drake Maye's top wide receivers for years to come. After one season and under 100 receiving yards, he was traded to the Saints and has since retired. That type of miss would be almost cataclysmic for most new general managers.
Fourth-round wide receiver Javon Baker and seventh-round tight end Jaheim Bell, who tallied one and two catches, respectively, were cut loose before the 2025 season ended and are not on a roster right now. Fourth-round offensive guard Layden Robinson followed the same path. Sixth-round quarterback Joe Milton, thanks to his bazooka arm, is a solid NFL backup, but now for the Dallas Cowboys.
The one exception is Maye, who was an MVP finalist and AFC Champion in just his second season. As if the Patriots needed more validation that moving on from Mayo and rolling with Mike Vrabel and a new front office was the right move, their 2024 class consists entirely of Maye and little else of value to them.
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