Patriots 7-Round Mock Draft: Offense is revitalized with game-changing weapons

The consensus seems that the Patriots want to take a quarterback in the draft after they signed Jacoby Brissett as a "bridge" to the future. Brissett started 11 games under new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in Cleveland in 2022, and if they are looking for a developmental QB in the draft, they don’t need to take one in the first round.

They don’t even need to take one in the first three rounds. And if Van Pelt truly believes he’s a quarterback whisperer, they could take one of the more talented but inconsistent prospects available in the 7th round. 

After the Patriots managed to reunite Van Pelt with Brissett (because he was cheaper than Baker Mayfield, I guess?), there’s an obvious choice in the later rounds of the draft.

And assuming there aren’t any wild trades at the top of the draft (there probably will be), here’s how the Patriots could fix their offense with just seven picks. 

Patriots select WR Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State with the 3rd overall pick

He is the best player in this draft class, at any position. He would be Mike Evans in this offense. And Baker Mayfield threw 136 passes in Evans’ direction last year. Harrison Jr. isn't quite as big as Evans, but he is faster than him. The Tampa Bay receiver ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash before he was drafted.

Unfortunately, Harrison Jr. didn't perform any tests at the combine, but some experts speculated he could have run a 4.3 time. Even if he hadn’t run that quick he will still provide a receiving threat the Patriots have lacked for a while. 

At Ohio State, Harrison Jr. caught 155 passes in 38 games, or four a game. That isn't an awful lot, but he averaged 16.8 yards per catch. And 20% of the passes he caught resulted in touchdowns.

His college career was definitely an example of quality over quantity. Demario Douglas, the Patriots' leading pass-catching receiver (because their leading pass catcher was Ezekiel Elliott), only averaged 3.5 catches per game. And he only played in 14 games.