Patriots 7-Round Mock Draft: Impressive Combine showings make selections easier

The NFL combine provides an excellent opportunity for players to injure themselves while doing something they would never do on a football field, like running 40 yards in a dead straight line. But more than that, it provides scouts and coaches with raw data to compare.

It’s incredibly arbitrary data, and how it’s analyzed is incredibly subjective. But it’s an annual tradition, and we all know change is bad, even if it could lead to progress and save some brutal, unnecessary injuries. 

But as James Howell wrote in 1659, “There’s no use crying over spilled milk.”

For those scouts and coaches who can’t identify talent when it’s staring them full in the face, the combine provides some useful crib notes about who they should draft. And if the Patriots are using the combine as their cheat sheet (and let’s all pray they aren’t), here’s who they should be drafting. 

Round 1, Pick No. 3 - Joe Alt OT (Notre Dame) 

Alt is the son of former Chiefs offensive lineman Jon Alt. The rookie is being touted as the best offensive tackle in the draft, although if you argue strongly for Olu Fashanu, I wouldn’t disagree. Fashanu’s combine was curtailed by a thigh injury, though.

Alt is nearly 6 feet 9 inches tall, and not only is that going to impact what his quarterback can see from the pocket, but it will also give more compact pass rushers a chance to “dip” under his hands as he tries to block.  

But he knocked it out of the park in Indy. Alt clocked the fastest first 5 yards for any lineman in the last two combines. His 14.14 mph was 0.4 mph faster than Wisconsin’s Taylor Bortolini (more of him later). 

Round 2, Pick No. 34 - Keon Coleman WR (FSU) 

Coleman was the Puka Nacua of the 2024 combine. Even though Coleman ran one of the slowest 40-yard times at the combine, he clocked up 20.36 mph when he ran the “gauntlet drill.” He went even faster when he hit 21.71 mph while running a go route. All of those times were without pads on, though. 

But Coleman didn’t just demonstrate his speed at the combine, though. He also recorded a 38” standing jump, which isn’t exactly earth-shattering, but that man is 6 feet 4 inches tall. So, his catch radius is huge. Coleman also weighs 215 lbs., so he was never likely to leap as high as Malik Washington, who is 21 lbs. lighter than him.   

Round 3, Pick No. 68 - Xavier Worthy WR (Texas) 

Worthy lit the combine up, setting a new record for the 40-yard dash. He was timed at 4.21 seconds, 0.01 seconds faster than John Ross’ time from 2017!

The most remarkable part of Worthy’s sprint was that it looked like he could have run even faster. He didn’t get into his running until he hit the 23-yard mark! 

Round 4, Pick No. 104 - Joe Milton QB (Tennessee) 

Before the combine, he looked to be the most composed quarterback in the class. But his athletic prowess really showed through in Indy. He threw a pass that registered 62 mph on the speed gun! And he recorded a 35” standing jump—not that you really want your quarterback having to leap on the field.

But in this case, it’s used to indicate the athlete’s explosiveness. Milton isn’t much of a runner, but when he needs to, he can. 

Despite his impressive performances at the combine, Milton is still not projected to go on the draft's first day. The experts have qualms about his ability to throw shorter and mid-range passes. Some lucky GM is going to fall ass-backward into a great quarterback.    

Round 5, Pick No. 136 - Xavier Thomas (DE)  Clemson 

Like Keon Coleman, Thomas didn’t really shine in the 40-yard dash. And like Fashanu, he seemed bothered by an injury while performing at the combine. But Thomas was still a winner in Indy. Thomas ran one of the fastest times amongst defensive ends—and he did it with a cramp!

He later said he had hoped to run faster at Clemson’s pro day. But despite his discomfort, Thomas still set a time of 4.62 seconds. Only Chop Robinson, Jared Verse, and Mohamed Kamara ran faster. Both Robinson and Verse are projected as first-round picks. 

Thomas didn’t just demonstrate his speed, though. He managed 26 bench press reps, the sixth most amongst the defensive linemen. He also recorded a 10-foot broad jump, which was sixth for defensive ends.

Thomas was once projected to be a first-round talent, but after a bout of COVID, he could drop to the 6th round. 

Round 6, Pick No. 182 - Tanor Bortolini (IOL) Minnesota 

Bortolini played four of the five offensive line positions in college. That versatility alone should make him a pretty valuable commodity. But his combine performance will have made him even more desirable. 

He ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any offensive lineman. Bortolini clocked a 4.94 second time. He also broke Jason Kelce’s record for the three cone test. According to NextGen, he scored a maximum athleticism score of 99, becoming just the interior lineman to do that in the last 21 years! 

Round 7, Pick No. 229 - Tylan Grable (OT) UCF 

On the topic of athletic offensive linemen, Grable scored a 97 out of 99 when it comes to athleticism—the 6 feet 5 inches tall, 306 lb. Grable ran a 4.99 40-yard dash like Bortolini. Bur Grable also recorded a 36.5” vertical jump and a 9”.9" broad jump.

If you’re going to have an athletic quarterback, then you’re going to need an athletic line ahead of him. 

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