Despite the 2024 NFL draft being over five months away, the obsession with mock drafts in New England has become all the rage in recent weeks, mainly due to the Patriots' uncharacteristically bad season, landing them in the top 3 of the first round.
Their current draft position has prompted many mock drafters to theorize which direction the team will ultimately go with their first-rounder, with most believing it will be a quarterback or a wide receiver, with a lesser amount predicting an offensive tackle will be the choice.
Now that the college football season is nearing its end, sites like Pro Football Focus have expanded their mock drafts to include up to five rounds, attempting to address as many voids on a team's roster much sooner in the NFL season than usual.
And that's where we find the latest predictions by PFF for the Patriots, who put together a draft class that seems like most fans would be ecstatic to come to fruition.
This is their first five-round mock for New England, and because they currently hold the third overall pick, the experts at PFF decided to have them take a generational wide receiver to kick things off.
Round 1 - Pick 3: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
"New England needs offensive line help, and Penn State’s Olu Fashanu or Notre Dame’s Joe Alt would be worthy top-five selections. But, positional importance aside, Marvin Harrison Jr. would likely be the consensus No. 1 player on big boards for this draft cycle. If the Patriots can get him, he would be the most talented receiver in New England since Randy Moss."
It's a debatable pick, depending on who you ask, since the consensus appears to be leaning toward taking a quarterback in the first round. But if the Patriots lose out on Maye or Williams, the next best pick would be Harrison Jr.
It could even be argued that taking the receiver wouldn't be a bad pick if either quarterback remained on the board. Considering the offense's need for a dominant and game-changing WR1, having Harrison Jr. fall into their lap would still make for an excellent first-round pick.
Because the quarterback situation wasn't answered in the first round, the Patriots addressed that with their second-round pick.
At this point, it seems like LSU's Jayden Daniels would be a bit of a controversial pick since most fans seem dead set on either Maye or Williams, but if the Patriots hope to improve at quarterback while also keeping up with the rise of mobile QBs in the league, Daniels is an easy choice.
Round 2 - Pick 35: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
"There is certainly a world where Daniels doesn’t make it to the top of the second round. But the Patriots should be interested in this dynamic, dual-threat quarterback, regardless of how much his draft stock swings."
Other than the presumed criticism about this pick for the Patriots, mainly stemming from the idea that they only need a quarterback that is considered a first-roundBesides talent, Bill Belichick's past interest in Lamar Jackson cannot be overlooked when considering the possibility of Daniels landing in New England.
Jackson had a visit with the team prior to the draft, and it was reported Belichick was eyeing him to be the new franchise QB. Tom Brady was still under contract then, and the Patriots ultimately passed on Jackson for Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel, decisions that continue to haunt the team to this day.
It wouldn't be surprising if the head coach attempted to right his wrongs by selecting Daniels six years later to finally get his hands on a mobile quarterback that hasn't been the norm during his tenure.
One of the other biggest needs for the draft is an offensive tackle, as the line continues to be an inconsistent part of the offense on game day. Since PFF waited until the third round to have them take a lineman, it's possible they went off the assumption that Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu, the two best players at their positions on the team, will be re-signed this offseason.
If that's the case, waiting to take Kingsley Suamataia with pick 67 may not be a bad choice.
Round 3 - Pick 67: Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
"Suamataia is a former five-star offensive lineman who moves very well despite his 6-foot-6, 325-pound frame. He could end up going higher than Pick 67. But, there are still inconsistencies in his game, especially in run blocking. While his lack of mastery might bring him back to BYU for one more season, even what he is showing now would make him a good player to draft and develop."
The other part that will come into question about this pick is the possibility of Suamataia returning to BYU for another season. That won't be known for a while, but it's certainly something to monitor if he continues to be a projected pick for the Patriots.
Before the surprising release of Jack Jones last week, drafting a cornerback didn't seem like a priority for the Patriots in next year's draft. They just took Christian Gonzalez in the first round, who looked every bit the part and more before his season-ending injury.
On top of that, J.C. Jackson, Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, and Shaun Wade will still be under contract, filling out an impressive CB room for the 2024 season. But because there may be questionable depth at the position now and Belichick's continued priority of building a stellar defense, selecting a cornerback in a mid-round seems like the likeliest scenario.
Round 4 - Pick 103: Nehemiah Pritchett, CB, Auburn
"Pritchett missed some time earlier this year due to injury and is flying under the talent radar. He has good length for an outside cornerback at 6-foot-1. He is also allowing a catch on just 35.3% of the targets into his coverage. After the Patriots drafted Christian Gonzalez in the first round last season, cornerback won’t be a Tier 1 need, but getting another defensive back in the middle rounds wouldn’t be a bad idea."
Round 5 - Pick 140: Will Shipley, RB, Clemson
Now that the running back roster has dwindled to be just Rhamondre Stevenson next season unless Ezekiel Elliott is re-signed, there is a big need to add a competent RB2 to the roster through the draft.
Maybe it's a position some feel should be prioritized more than waiting until the fifth round, but it's important to remember free agency begins over a month before the draft, allowing the Patriots to bulk up their roster with a veteran. Game-changing backs will be available to sign, like Saquan Barkley, Austin Ekeler, Derrick Henry, or Josh Jacobs, just to name a few.
Other prominent names could be available as well. Although it seems unbelievable that Belichick would dish out the kind of money it would take to bring any of them to New England, they are slated to have nearly $100 million in cap space next season, making it more possible that they will be willing to spend far more than they have in the past to get the team back on track.
That makes waiting until the fifth round to take Will Shipley out of Clemson a bit easier to accept, and he could be worth the wait.
"Shipley was considered a Day 2 pick coming into the season and may end up still being that, but he has posted career lows in missed tackles forced and yards after contact in 2023, two important stats that help separate a running back’s individual ability from their offensive line.
That doesn’t mean the all-purpose back isn’t a good player, but his draft stock might be that of a mid-rounder. Still, as a talented receiver, Shipley has seen more than 30 targets in each of the past two seasons, a role that could pair well with Stevenson."