Patriots Mock Draft roundup: Will Pats land a new franchise quarterback at No. 3?

BOSTON -- With the NFL regular season over and the college football season now all wrapped up, there is a new season upon us: Mock Draft season.

Draft season usually isn't that exciting in New England, but the days of the Patriots drafting late in the first round are over for now. The silver lining of that putrid 4-13 season we just sat through is that the organization will have a chance to land a franchise-altering talent on April 24. At least in theory.

Of course at this very moment, we don't know who will be making the franchise's highest selection since picking sixth overall in 2001. We don't even know who will be the team's head coach next season, with Bill Belichick's future in limbo. 

But the mock drafters are already hard at work, and many of them have the Patriots landing one of the three premier quarterbacks available: USC's Caleb Williams (30 touchdowns, 170.1 passer rating as a junior), UNC's Drake Maye (24 passing touchdowns and nine rushing scores as a sophomore), and LSU's Jayden McDaniel (40 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing scores in his Heisman season). Some of them have New England taking dynamic receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who caught 67 passes for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Buckeyes.

There's even one mock that has the Patriots taking Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt. Fans won't be too happy if that happens, but the Patriots do need a tackle to anchor the offensive line.

Here are all the picks we rounded up in our first "Mock Draft Roundup" of 2024. Many, many more will come over the next three months.

Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports: Drake Maye, QB, UNC

The Patriots cannot come out of this draft without a quarterback. Drake Maye could push Caleb Williams for QB1, depending on the team -- and Jayden Daniels could be in the QB2 conversation, too. This QB class is deep at the top, so different teams will have different favorites.

Josh Edwards, CBS Sports: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

With two of the perceived top quarterback prospects off the board, New England goes in another direction to address the wide receiver room. Marvin Harrison Jr. is the best prospect eligible for the draft.  

Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

A couple of things here: 1) Harrison is the best player in this draft, and people shouldn't complicate that. He is a game-changing asset who can make a non-star quarterback (and a middling offense) better, immediately. And 2) This, at least for me, is still too early to take LSU QB Jayden Daniels — though I'm not about to rule out the Heisman winner here, with or without Bill Belichick's return.

Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: Drake Maye, QB, UNC

The Patriots have already waved the white flag on Mac Jones, who didn't work out at all as a pocket passer. Here they can go for the much bigger arm and athletic upside of Maye, who is a much better version of Howell, his Tar Heels predecessor.  

Trevor Sikkema, Pro Football Focus: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

If it isn't Maye or Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Daniels, is a special dual-threat talent — a worthy swing of the bat.  

Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA Today: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

Regardless of Bill Belichick's fate, an offensive overhaul seems sure to come in New England. Daniels hasn't been mentioned alongside Williams and Maye as a surefire top-three pick, but the Heisman Trophy winner has a highly desirable package of traits. While his athleticism and deep passing might be his hallmarks, his composure in the pocket should give any front office an additional level of comfort in projecting him to the next level.

Joseph Acosta, SB Nation: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

No matter what happens at head coach for the Patriots, they're in desperate need of some energy and excitement at the QB spot. Daniels is a big play waiting to happen with his arms and legs.  

Bleacher Report: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame

The first thought regarding this selection went something like this: "Notre Dame's Joe Alt is a New England Patriots draft pick all day long."

However, the football world will be waiting to see if Bill Belichick remains the team's head coach and de facto general manager. The "Patriot Way" may be changing.

While that decision hangs in the balance, the Patriots could do far worse than selecting Alt with the third overall pick. After all, the unanimous All-American graded higher than any Power Five offensive tackle this past season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Mike Fanelli, FantasyPros.com: Drake Maye, QB, UNC

It's a new day in New England. Bill Belichick is on his way out the door, and the Mac Jones era is over. Whether Mike Vrabel takes over as the new head coach or someone else, the Patriots need to find their franchise quarterback. While some will call for the team to draft Jayden Daniels, Maye is the far safer and smarter option.

Curt Popejoy, Draft Wire: Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Another team that could be headed to a new head coach with it a new quarterback.

Harrison Jr. goes first overall and Maye goes second in Popejoy's mock, allowing Williams to fall to New England.

Popejoy did a three-round draft to kick off the mock season, and has the Patriots taking Georgia receiver Ladd McConkey in the second round and Penn State edge rusher Adisa Isaac in the third round.

Connor Livesay, The33rdTeam.com: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

As we inch closer to the draft, we're hearing more and more whispers about Jayden Daniels flying up draft boards and even putting himself in the QB2 conversation. The New England Patriots have holes all over their roster and could look to trade the pick to start their rebuild, but adding Daniels with a new coaching staff and support system seems like the best use of a top-three draft pick.  

Oliver Hodgkinson, Pro Football Network: Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Mac Jones isn't it. Bailey Zappe isn't it.

The New England Patriots need to find it at the QB position if they're to return to the summit of the sport. There's no denying that Caleb Williams has the "it factor" with his ludicrous arm talent and the off-script creativity and athleticism that would have been unthinkable to witness during the long-tenured Bill Belichick era in Foxboro.

In this mock, Maye goes first overall to Chicago and Alt is taken by the Commanders with the second pick.