Patriots rock the NFL in this post-Bill Belichick 7-round mock draft

With their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the New England Patriots ... trade down!

In an absolutely stunning move, the New England Patriots trade the third pick in the 2024 draft to Tennessee for their seventh pick overall and their pick No. 38 pick in the second round! The entire NFL is shocked and so is Patriot Nation. The Patriots pass on Drake Maye, a consensus top-three quarterback, and on Jayden Daniels, the presumptive favorite from LSU.

In trading down, no matter how controversial, the Patriots with needs all over their offense add a premium pick to their quiver in the second round. Additionally, they still have the seventh pick and will be able to select one of the top six players who may fall or perhaps the best tight end in college football, Brock Bowers from Georgia.

The best players in the draft fall off the board quickly, as expected. The top two quarterbacks, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, the top two offensive tackles, Joe Alt of Notre Dame and Olu Fashanu of Penn State, and two top wide receivers, the transcendent Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State and Rome Odunze of Washington. Yet, the Pats still have solid options at seven.

Remaining on the board are quarterback Daniels and dynamic tight end, Bowers as Commissioner Roger Goodell steps to the podium and announces, there is a trade. The Patriots have traded down again. Goodell announces that the trade consists of the Patriots trading the seventh overall to Atlanta for pick No. 8 along with the Falcons' 74th pick in the 3rd round for the privilege.

Atlanta then selects, not quarterback, Jayden Daniels or Bowers. It's wide receiver, Malik Nabors who caught passes from Daniels at LSU! Now the Patriots have another opportunity to select having now added in splendid, if not remarkable fashion, additional second and third-round picks to their arsenal.