Patriots shock the NFL with new 3-round knock-out mock draft

After the loss to the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots sit third in the NFL draft with an opportunity to go a bit higher or as low as the seventh pick overall. A win against the Jets will put them in a position to drop, and that's to be expected; after all, they are the New York Jets.

All that notwithstanding, today, they'd have the third pick overall, and it's time to predict a draft for them in the top three rounds if they remain at three. So here we got with a draft to set up the Pats offense for a rapid emergence from the bottom of the AFC East Division.

(Note: thanks to profootballnetwork.com for their excellent mock draft simulator. )

New England Patriots go with a dual-threat QB in the first round.

The Patriots need a starting quarterback after the poor season executed by their top two quarterbacks in 2023, Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. Jones is likely trade bait, while Zappe may stick around as a backup. Whatever their situation, the Patriots need to go big and early for a quarterback, and they take a perfect one here.

With their first pick in the 2024 draft, the Patriots take a recognized star QB from Louisiana State, a Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels. Daniels can do it all, and he's the choice no matter who else is on the board when the Patriots select.

Here's' what Pro Football Focus has to say about Daniels, their third-rated QB in the 2024 draft,

"Daniels is a good dual-threat quarterback who has a ton of yards from scrimmage. Last year, he focused on taking care of the ball and had one of the lowest turnover-worthy play rates in the nation. This year, he's focused on playing better under pressure while pushing the ball downfield more often — and he's done both at career-high levels. His growth in all areas is encouraging and shows that he could be a QB to invest in."

To be more emphatic, Daniels should be a QB you invest a top pick in. He's a 6"3' tall dual threat who can burn a defense with both his arm and his legs. His 2023 stats are eye-opening. He notched 40 TDs through the air with 3812 yards, a 72.2% completion percentage, and only four interceptions.

Add to that his great running ability having run for 1134 yards with 10 additional TDs and you have the complete package for the modern NFL. Pats fans should be delirious with this selection as it goes against all conventions of a team that's led by Bill Belichick as de facto GM.

The thought here is that Belichick will not be in command of the draft and that the new GM will have the savvy to take a top talent like Daniels and build a powerhouse offense around him. If Belichick remains in charge of the draft, who knows what he will do.