Patriots 7-round Mock Draft: Prioritizing the offense will bring massive improvements

With Josh Uche set to hit free agency and Keion White entering just his second season, the Patriots' defense will need some reinforcements on the edge. Additionally, the team may find themselves in a bit of an issue with Matthew Judon, who deserves a contract extension and has yet to receive one.

Because of that, it was speculated he missed training camp practices last year because of the lack of contract negotiations. Although he denied that to be accurate, it's still something to remember when looking at the roster for 2024.

Regardless, this is a draft that will need to be primarily focused on improving the offense, hence waiting until the sixth round to address the defense. There may be a better shot to keep some of the key linebackers heading to free agency now that Mayo is the head coach, though, so that is also significant.

All that leads to the Patriots selecting Jasheen Davis out of Wake Forest, who had a phenomenal 2023 season playing in 12 games. He was on the field for 703 total snaps and recorded 8 sacks, 7 quarterback hits, and 30 hurries - nearly all of which is statistically better than every pass rusher on the Patriots last year.

Considering how lackluster that was once, Judon left with what ended up being a season-ending injury; adding a guy who knows how to wreak havoc on quarterbacks would be significant.