New England Patriots Draft Mistakes

The NFL Draft is where teams’ and GM’s futures are on the line. The New England Patriots entered the 2024 draft with the highly coveted #3 overall pick. After dealing former first round selection, Mac Jones, to the Jaguars, many believed the Patriots were in for a new signal caller. It wasn’t all that obvious though, as the Pats were coming off a rough season, which saw them finish dead last in their division. The team had many holes to fill, and many offers for the rights to their day one selection. Many had speculated that longtime head coach, Bill Bellichick, was on the hotseat, after back to back sub .500 seasons. It was also becoming more and more apparent that Tom Brady might have been more essential to the team than Bellichick. A lackluster 4-13 record this year saw Bellichick fired in favor of former Patriot linebacker Jerod Mayo. With a new play caller and a top pick, the Patriots had their future in their hands. On the night of the draft, New England took North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the 3rd overall pick. While this may seem to be the solution for one of the Patriots biggest problems, it may not be the impetus for the quick turnaround Patriots’ fans are hoping for. After the draft, word got out that the Patriots declined two massive trade offers for the rights to the 3rd overall pick. The New York Giants, who were also seemingly in for a quarterback, offered a package including the rights to their first round selection, 6th overall for the Patriots selection at 3. The offer did not seem to entice the front office, as it was swiftly declined. However, the Minnesota Vikings came calling with a mouth-watering offer. The Vikings were willing to give up both of their 2024 first round picks: 11th and 23rd overall, AND their first round selection in next year’s draft (Peters). The Vikings, who just let Kirk Cousins walk in free agency, were looking to get a quarterback for the future, and wanted to make that decision with the #3 pick. This offer could have potentially expedited the Patriots’ turnaround, as they were only trading down 8 spots, while also adding another first round selection a few spots down. Ultimately, they chose to decline the offer and get their guy at 3. While Drake Maye might look to be the right choice, drafting him was ultimately a mistake by the New England front office. The Patriots’ lackluster offense was in desperate need of a playmaker. There was plenty of wide receiver talent in this draft that the Patriots could have capitalized on, had they accepted the Vikings offer. With the 11th pick, they would have had the ability to select JJ McCarthy, Michigan’s quarterback who just led them to their first national title in 26 years. With the 23rd pick, they would have many options at wide receiver, such as Brian Thomas Jr. from LSU and Xavier Worthy from Texas. Deciding to draft Drake Maye and not trading down to draft 2 NFL ready playmakers will ultimately prove to be 2 huge mistakes that the New England Patriots will suffer the consequences as their future unfolds.