The New England Patriot's season is now done, of course, and this offseason could feature a lot of changes among the coaching staff on and the roster. Most of the changes on the roster should be on the offensive side of the ball, though. While New England's defense was far from perfect, the unit was still good enough to win more games than the team actually won.
Plus, New England's defense should be improved by two returnees. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez should be back after suffering a shoulder injury. Also, edge rusher Matt Judon should be back after missing all but four games due to a torn biceps.
In the mock draft that follows, I used Pro Football Network's mock draft simulator. I like PFN's mock tool because trades are offered. I took two trades that were offered, which is why the Patriots have two third-round picks.
New England Patriots get their QB of the future in this mock draft
Pro Football Network had the Washington Commanders taking Drake Maye at pick No. 2, and Maye was the first quarterback off the board. This meant Williams fell to the Patriots at pick three. Honestly, I would have been happy with either Williams or Maye, as both have extremely accurate arms and the ability to move around in the pocket and bust the occasional run down the field. But USC's Williams is electric when rolling out and throwing down the field.
I know some Patriots fans might want the team to take Marvin Harrison, Jr. with New England's first pick, but what good does taking a receiver do if a team doesn't have a good quarterback getting him the ball? Harrison will likely be terrific in the NFL, but he will be limited by bad quarterback play.
New England needs to move on from Mac Jones but Bailey Zappe should not be a long-term QB1. He can be a decent backup, but he makes far too many mistakes to lead a team consistently to deep runs in the playoffs. Williams, however, can elevate a team to be better than the sum of their parts. Williams will also turn out to be the second-best quarterback in franchise history after some guy named Tom Brady.
New England Patriots mock draft: Rounds 2 through 4
The Patriots' defense kept the team in more games than they should have had to. We can thank Bill Belichick for that, as he always seems to get his defenses to play better than expected, but New England was still 18th in pressure percentage this year and 27th in sacks. Getting Matt Judon back next year will help with the pass rush, but drafting Ohio State's Tuimoloau can help supply quarterback pressure - he needs to develop a few more pass rush moves, though - and with his strength and balance will be stout against the run.
Washington's McMillan is more of a true slot receiver, but he could be one of the best in the NFL. He doesn't have Tyreke Hill's speed, but he is quick off the line and shifty in his routes. He has excellent hands, too. McMillan knows how to find the open spots in the middle of the defense. Taking him would give Caleb Williams a versatile receiver whom Williams can look to on third downs.
James has good length at 6'1", but he needs to gain some strength. That should not be an issue in an NFL weightlifting program, however. Athletically, he is ready for the NFL in Week 1 of 2024. He might start more in the slot as he has good quickness and reads receivers' routes well. But Auburn's James should develop into a shutdown outside corner.
If the Patriots cannot draft Drake Maye, they can at least steal one of Maye's Tar Heel teammates. Walker is 6'2" and weighs 210 pounds with an excellent burst. He might not be around in the fourth round, especially if he has as good of an NFL combine as he probably will, because his speed is fantastic for his size. Walker does need to work on his physicality as he doesn't seem to do well with contact and can get knocked off his route too easily.
New England Patriots mock draft: Rounds 5 through 7
The TCU product is good size at 6'6" and 320 pounds and has good quickness for his size. He also has good versatility and can play a number of spots along the offensive line. However, part of the issue with this season for the Patriots was that New England moved linemen around too much. Coleman needs to just stick at guard and take a year to develop, and they should be a capable starter.
For a team like the Patriots that used to know how to keep their tight ends productive, that doesn't seem to have happened as much lately. Castles isn't exactly Rob Gronkowski as, well...who is? But Castles has good speed for his 6'5" and 250 pounds, and he doesn't mind challenging for a pass in traffic. The oddness is that while he has speed, he does not seem to get much separation. This might change with more focused coaching. No offense to the University of Tennessee where Castles finished his college career, however, Castles was there for only one year. He also played at Cal and UC Davis.
Miami's Davis is 5'9" and 180 pounds, so he is likely more of a fit in the slot, but he does have enough quickness to bounce outside if needed. He is an intelligent player who seems to read what the offense is going to do pre-snap. His issues would be that he gets crossed-up in coverage and, once beaten, does not have the explosive speed to catch up.