Quarterback woes keep Patriots from enjoying the most straightforward draft ever

"If only the New England Patriots had quarterback figured out."

It sounds silly to say, given the difficult nature of threading that positional needle for most front offices in the NFL these days. But it's also true. If they somehow had an answer—even something labeled "good enough"—this year's draft would be a cakewalk for Elliot Wolf and company.

That is not the case, of course, for the Pats and a host of other teams already picking (or desiring to pick) in the upper echelon of the 2024 NFL Draft. That means the Patriots, currently sitting at No. 3, will use that selection on one of several potential picks—from J.J. McCarthy to Drake Maye to Jayden Daniels.

It's too bad quarterback is not dialed in for the New England Patriots because this class should feature the easiest draft calls ever.

And the same long-term woes will continue to be the same long-term woes in other important spaces.

Consider the strengths of this draft class. Wide receivers aplenty can be found in this year's class and those considering the elite members of this rookie crop are already being discussed as generational talents—the Rome Odunzes and Marvin Harrisons and Malik Naberses. And if you're up for skipping those "future Hall of Famers", you can find top-tier wideouts much further down the draft board and solid talent floating all through the mid-rounds.

While the scope of overall talent is not the same as wide receiver, the options at offensive tackle in this year's draft class are also quite strong and it's possible as many as 7 or more are taken in the first round. That begins with Joe Alt, a pro-ready blindside protector with the bloodlines and body of work to likely lock down the position for the next decade at the highest levels.

For Patriots fans, the idea of finally getting a long-term bookend like Alt or a top-shelf wide receiver like Harrison Jr. is the stuff of dreams. After all, the Patriots' offensive line has been a complete mess for quite some time and the holes at tackle stymie any offensive momentum. The same can be said for a very forgettable group of wide receivers led by the likes of Demario Douglas or K.J. Osborn.

WIth the third overall selection in the first two rounds of a deep draft, the Patriots could easily knock out two pivotal needs with their first two selections without any real thought. A pick like Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt would be an easy win up front for the Patriots and would raise the floor of the entire offense.

Thirty-one picks later, with No. 34 early on Friday's second round, the Pats are up again and could feast on a wideout who somehow fell out of the first. Imagine being able to add Xavier Worthy or Ladd McConkey to the offense after already securing Alt in the first. Just like that, the Patriots would have major upgrades at two vital positions—ones that seem to plague them year after year (after year).

Instead, the rumors have the Patriots joining the carousel atop the draft vying for a potential franchise face in the hopes of getting things right at the most important position in the game. If they can, of course, it's the right move, but it's just frustrating that two long-term needs can't be addressed with a perfectly stacked draft class.

More Patriots coverage: