Patriots 2024 NFL Draft guide: New England's picks, needs, and who they could take

FOXBORO -- The NFL Draft is finally here. We've all survived enjoyed months and months of rumors, mocks drafts, film breakdowns, more rumors, trades, other mock drafts, even more rumors, and plenty of smokescreens to reach this point.

And this is an important point for the New England Patriots, who are armed with the third overall selection and an opportunity to draft a potential franchise quarterback. That is, unless they get a massive haul in exchange for that third pick, which would help them plug some holes elsewhere on the roster while still potentially landing a QB later in the draft.

UPDATE: The Patriots drafted Drake Maye with the third overall pick | Full Round 1 recap

But as of Tuesday, the Patriots had only received "laughable" offers for the No. 3 pick. We'll see if that changes before picks start flying of the board at 8 p.m. this evening. Here's what you should know as we inch closer and closer to the 2024 NFL Draft.

When is the 2024 NFL Draft?

The draft is being held in Detroit, Michigan, with a total of 257 picks to be made over a three-day span. It all starts with Round 1 at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 25. This night can get a little long, with teams getting 10 minutes to make their pick.

Rounds 2 and 3 will be held on Friday, April 26, beginning at  7p.m. Each team will have seven minutes to make their pick in the second round and five minutes in the third round.

The final four rounds will take place on Saturday, April 27, with Round 4 beginning at the crack of noon. Teams will have five minutes to make a pick in rounds 4-6, and four minutes to make their pick in Round 7.

What picks do the Patriots own in the 2024 NFL Draft?

The Patriots have eight picks heading into the draft, highlighted by the third overall pick. That's their reward for going 4-13 during the 2023 season.

Here's a rundown of the team's selections:

Round 1, Pick 3
Round 2, Pick 34
Round 3, Pick 68
Round 4, Pick 103
Round 5, Pick 137
Round 6, Pick 180
Round 6, Pick 193 (from Jacksonville via Mac Jones trade)
Round 7, Pick 231 (from Chicago via N'Keal Harry trade)

The Patriots have never drafted third overall in the NFL Draft. This would be the highest the team has drafted since 1994, when New England picked Willie McGinest fourth overall. That came one year after the Patriots drafted quarterback Drew Bledsoe with the top pick.

What are the biggest needs for the Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft?

Quarterback

What more needs to be said? The Patriots need a franchise quarterback, and they need one really bad. 

If Jayden Daniels goes No. 2 to the Commanders as expected, the Patriots will get to pick between Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy. Or, if they're not sold on either of those two as franchise quarterbacks, the Pats could look to trade down to snag more selections to fill other holes on the roster -- and potentially end up with an quarterback later in the first round or on Day 2.

There's a bridge named Brissett in the locker room at Patriot Place, and that's important should the Patriots draft a quarterback and don't think the kid is ready to start games right out of the shoot. In that sense, Jacoby Brissett will be a valuable member of the 2024 Patriots. 

But if the quarterback the Patriots draft is ready to go in Week 1, the veteran may be more of a stepping stone than a bridge. And if the Patriots take someone who is ready to go in Week 1, that should mean good things for the franchise. (At this point you are more than welcome to point out that Mac Jones started Week 1 of his rookie season, but I will shoot back that he beat out the ghost of Cam Newton and Brian Hoyer.)

Whomever the Patriots draft at quarterback, and wherever the Patriots draft a quarterback, they better make sure they get it right. A misstep at the most important position on the field can set a franchise back years -- as we just saw.

Wide Receiver

If the Patriots are going to invest a premium draft pick in a quarterback, shouldn't they use some other draft capital to build a receiving corps around him? One would hope.

Especially since this year's draft is loaded with receiver talent. Absolutely loaded.

If the Pats take a quarterback at third overall, they'll miss out on the top receivers like Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, and Brian Thomas Jr. -- barring a trade back into the top 10-15(ish) range.

But it's a position they could address in the second or third rounds, with a ton of options to pick from. Here's a few names to get familiar with:

Adonai Mitchell, Texas: The 6-foot-2 Mitchell has the size and speed to become a solid No. 1 or No. 2 receiver in the NFL. He broke out for Texas last season after spending two years at Georgia, hauling in 51 catches for 813 yards (averaging 15.9 yards per reception) to go with 11 touchdowns.

Ladd McConkey, Georgia: McConkey spent his entire college career at Georgia and thrived. A back injury forced him to miss two games last season, with the 6-footer snagging 30 receptions for 478 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Bulldogs. He had a huge sophomore season in 2022, with 58 catches, 762 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns (seven receiving, two rushing). 

McConkey was seemingly always open in college, and is out to prove that he is much more than just a stereotypical slot receiver at the next level.   

Xavier Worthy, Texas: It's clear that the 5-foot-11 Worthy can stretch the field after he spent the last three years etching his name in the Texas record books. Worthy ranks third all-time in Longhorns history with 26 touchdown receptions, to go with 2,755 receiving yards (fourth) and 197 receptions (sixth). He can also return punts and averaged 16.9 yards per return in 2023, good for the second-best in Texas history. Worthy returned one punt for a touchdown in his career, taking a kick 75 yards to the end zone against BYU last season.

Troy Franklin, Oregon: The 6-foot-2 Franklin was a Second Team All-American last season when he snagged 81 receptions for 1,383 receiving yard (good for a ridiculous 17.1 yards per catch), and 14 touchdowns for the Ducks. He scored 25 touchdowns over his three seasons at Oregon to set a new school record.

Franklin is a dangerous vertical threat, but may not make it to Day 2 of the draft.

Ricky Pearsall, Florida: Solid performances at the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine has led to Pearsall climbing up mock drafts, though not as high as the ridiculous 42" vertical jump he displayed in Indy. He's expected to go sometime early on Day 2.

Pearsall spent three years at Arizona State, where he hauled in 61 catches for 794 yards and five touchdowns, but then really broke while playing for the Gators the last two seasons. He led Florida with 65 receptions and 965 receiving yards last season, and found the end zone nine times for the Gators. 

Roman Wilson, Michigan: The Wolverines were primarily a run team, but the speedy and explosive Wilson had a monster season in Ann Arbor. He led the squad with 48 receptions for 789 yards (good for a 16.4 yards-per-catch average) and 12 touchdowns. One of those touchdowns came in the CFP Semifinals against Alabama, a four-yard score with 1:34 left that tied the game at 20-20. Michigan, obviously, won in overtime and went on to win a National Championship. 

Tackle

The Patriots should also do everything they can to make sure their young quarterback (or Brissett) has a solid offensive line protecting them. They can do so this weekend with a deep pool of tackles ready to start their NFL career. The Pats added Chukwuma Okorafor in free agency, but could really use a young tackle that could potentially anchor the line along with the young quarterback anchoring the offense.

Here a few options for the second round and beyond at tackle:

Graham Barton, Duke; Jordan Morgan, Arizona; Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma; Kiran Amegadjie, Yale; Christian Jones, Texas

Who could the Patriots draft with the third overall pick?

Jayden Daniels: The dynamic quarterback is coming off a Heisman-winning season for LSU, racking up nearly 5,000 total yards (3,812 passing, 1,134 rushing) and 50 touchdowns (40 passing, 10 rushing) for the Tigers. He completed 70 percent of his passes over his two seasons at LSU, after completing just 62 percent over three seasons at Arizona State.

Daniels may not be around when the Patriots pick though, as the QB-needy Washington Commanders are likely taking him second overall.

Drake Maye: It's unclear where the Patriots stand on Maye. Jerod Mayo raved about the quarterback's ceiling, but also wondered aloud about Maye's "floor" while chatting with reporters. Maybe the Pats really like him, but if they did, they probably wouldn't be talking about possibly trading the pick. But that could all just be gamesmanship during this silly season.

Maye started 26 games at North Carolina and completed 611 of his 942 passes for 7,929 yards, 62 touchdowns, and just 16 interceptions. He took a bit of a step back last season after an incredible 2022 campaign for the Tar Heels, but has a booming arm and is a more-than-capable runner when he needs to use his legs. He may have to sit a year on the bench, but his ceiling may be too high for the Pats to pass up at No. 3.

J.J McCarthy: No one has seen their name shoot up draft boards like the former Michigan QB. A handful of mock drafts have him going to the top three, or teams trading into the top five to land the quarterback.

McCarthy won a lot of games with the Wolverines, though he didn't put up big numbers. Stats aren't everything, though quarterbacks usually don't have to work too hard to put up numbers in college.

But McCarthy did what he was asked at Michigan, and that led to lots of W's and a national championship a few months ago. 

Marvin Harrison Jr.: If the Patriots wanna zig while the rest of the draft zags on quarterbacks, Harrison Jr. would automatically give New England a stud No. 1 receiver the team hasn't had since the days of Randy Moss. (If only they had a real quarterback to utilize such talent!)

Joe Alt: If the Patriots drafted a left tackle with the third overall pick instead of a quarterback or a trade back... fans would not be happy with the Mayo-Wolf regime.

History of the third overall pick that will make Patriots fans nervous

Matt Ryan and Steve McNair were both drafted third overall and both went on to have really solid professional careers. 

That's the good. Pretty good, even. But the rest is... bad. Scary bad.

Ever hear of Heath Shuler? How about Akili Smith? You've likely long forgotten about Joey Harrington. Vince Young is a name, but mostly because of what he achieved in college and what he didn't achieve in the NFL. 

There's also Blake Bortles, Sam Darnold, and Trey Lance. And those are all your quarterbacks drafted with the third overall pick.

Between all those non-Ryan/McNair quarterbacks, they have a grand total of two playoff wins, both of which belong to Bortles during his time with the Jaguars. They compiled a 115-183 record as starters in the NFL.

At least there have been some incredible non-quarterbacks drafted third overall. The Cardinals drafted Larry Fitzgerald third overall in 2004 and he's just a few years away from taking his spot in Canton. Andre Johnson will go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a few months, and he was drafted third overall by the Texans in 2003. 

Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders is the best third overall pick ever, taken in the three-spot by the Lions in 1989.

Could the Patriots draft a quarterback later in the NFL Draft?

There is a scenario where the Patriots could trade back from No. 3, snag an extra pick or two for this year and next, and still end up with a potential quarterback of the future. It would be risky, since there are several teams looking for a young quarterback this year, but it could happen.

The hot rumor has been that the Vikings are looking use the 11th and 23rd overall picks to move up and take a quarterback, and that wouldn't be a bad package for New England. (With some more filler, of course. How does Justin Jefferson sound?) If the Patriots aren't sold on making Daniels/Maye/McCarthy the third-overall pick, they need to get the most out of that asset. More recently, the New York Giants have been interested in moving up to snag Drake Maye. 

There's also a possibility that the Pats draft an area of need other than a quarterback at No. 3 (a game-changing receiver, perhaps) and trade back into the first to land a QB. That seems unlikely and expensive, but we shall see.

If the Patriots don't go Daniels/Maye/McCarthy, there are some other interesting quarterbacks to consider.

Michael Penix Jr., Washington: The lefty quarterback is an elder of the bunch at 23, and started his college career at Indiana. After four injury-filled seasons with the Hoosiers, Penix transferred to Washington and had loads of success with the Huskies.

Penix had his best season last year when he led Washington to a 13-0 record and a spot in the National Championship Game, and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy award. He led all of college football with 4,903 passing yards, and threw for 36 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions.

The age and injury history are a concern with Penix, but the guy can play quarterback and he's got the experience to take over on Day 1. 

Bo Nix, Oregon: A five-year starter who played three seasons at Auburn before spending the last two at Oregon, Nix has all the makings to be a starting QB in the NFL. He's got a big and accurate arm -- averaging 4,000 yards per season at Oregon while throwing 74 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions -- and the athleticism to hurt teams with his legs too, rushing for 20 scores over the last two years.

Nix is the oldest QB of the bunch at 24, and will likely be a Day 2 pick. But he has a lot of potential that could leave many teams second-guessing their 2024 drafts.

Spencer Rattler, South Carolina: The 23-year-old quarterback has had an interesting path to this point. He started his career at Oklahoma and had a real solid season in 2020, completing 67.5 percent of his passes for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns. 

But then he was benched for Caleb Williams during the 2021 season and transferred to South Carolina in 2022. Rattler had an up-and-down career over his two seasons with the Gamecocks, leading them to a 13-12 record. He hit 3,000 passing yards in each of the last two years, while throwing 37 touchdowns to 20 interceptions.