6 reasons why it's nearly impossible for the Patriots to botch the 2024 draft
The NFL draft is a mere three months away, and as it approaches, Patriot Nation should be optimistic about the possibilities. How is it possible to make a statement like that about a team that messed up drafts to a fare-thee-well routinely under Bill Belichick?
Yup, that's the feeling here, and it's uncharacteristically optimistic for a change.
An obvious situational change is that Belichick is no longer on the scene. He was never a very good drafter, and while his personnel operation is still running, the results should still be very good if a rational approach is adopted. Add a new general manager of the ilk of Louis Riddick and it could be monumentally better than previous recent iterations.
With that situation out of the way, there are half a dozen reasons why this particular draft will likely be a success, at least in the most important pick, the third pick overall. This is a transcendental pick and opportunity, one the team hasn't enjoyed literally in decades. They have to get it right, and absent an obtuse move, it probably will. Probably.
The New England Patriots have seriously good options at pick No. 3
The 2024 draft is loaded with six offensive players at the top. It's an excellent position to be in when you have a top-three pick and needs everywhere on offense. The first three reasons that limit the Patriots' opportunities to mess up this particular draft are the three quarterbacks touted to be first off the board.
The New England Patriots need a new quarterback around whom to build a new offense. That offense will hopefully scrap the one that brought success when a certain Tom Brady was at the helm. He's long gone. It's time for a significant revamp. One of the top three quarterbacks will be available to the Patriots when they pick at three.
The top three consensus quarterback options are Caleb Williams of USC, Drake Maye of North Carolina, and Jayden Daniels of LSU. These are three reasons why the Pats can't mess up the draft's first round. If they take any of the three, they are on solid footing. Each is a consensus top quarterback (operative word, "consensus"), and that's exactly where you want to be.
Williams displays other-worldly pocket-escapability. Maye has a cannon of an arm and can also run the ball, not just scramble. Daniels is a super-accurate passer, can run like a back, protects the ball brilliantly, and can make up for many deficiencies as a dual-threat type. No top quarterback or player is a lock to be a franchise-level player. But if you take one of these three based on your scouting, you really can't be faulted no matter what eventuates.