2024 NFL Draft: Final 7-round Patriots mock draft

The Patriots stay at No. 3, but still make a relatively surprise move at the top of the draft on Thursday.

As the draft approaches, there have been a handful of reports indicating that the team is leaning toward drafting Drake Maye with their top pick. However, there are also reports indicating that they could still trade down if they get the right offer. There are also reports that state the Patriots have fans in the building of McCarthy.

Reading the tea leaves, it almost seems like the Patriots are hoping for a team to trade up to No. 3 so they can recuperate draft capital and not take McCarthy at a pick that’s deemed too high for him to go. Ultimately, they opt not to play around and decide to draft McCarthy.

Obviously, the next debate will be whether drafting McCarthy with the third pick is the right or wrong move. But this team badly needs hope at quarterback that they can’t go wrong with one of McCarthy or Maye, assuming that Jayden Daniels is the Washington Commanders’ pick at No. 2. They both have live arms, with McCarthy displaying accuracy and toughness from the pocket while Maye was the more effective deep passer.

More importantly, McCarthy and Maye can playmaker, too. Maye put up strong numbers as a runner in college – rushing for 1,147 yards and 16 touchdowns over the last two seasons – while McCarthy’s production on throws outside the pocket is arguably the best out of all of the quarterbacks in this draft class.

If there is one thing that might give McCarthy the edge over Maye, it’s the possible perceived notion that he’s more pro-ready than Maye. There have been questions about Maye’s footwork during the draft process, with many experts believing he’s still raw and needs time to break some of the bad habits he got himself into at UNC this past season.

McCarthy isn’t necessarily ready to be a Day 1 franchise quarterback and will likely need some time on the bench to start, too. But he ran a pro-style offense at Michigan that could suit himself well for offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s system, which has some West Coast offense elements.

No. 47: Florida WR Ricky Pearsall (from New York Giants)

Instead of potentially passing up on a franchise quarterback to trade at No. 3, the Patriots opt to collect more assets by trading down from their second-round pick (No. 34 overall). They receive the No. 47 and No. 70 overall picks from the New York Giants, giving them another Day 2 pick and still keeping them in range to draft one of the many talented receivers expected to go in the first few rounds.

The Patriots pass on the possibility of reuniting McCarthy with Michigan receiver Roman Wilson, selecting Pearsall. The Florida product’s versatility as a boundary and slot receiver in college gives him the edge here, which some scouts believe he can continue to do at the pro level. He certainly has the size (6-foot-1) and speed (4.41 40 time) to play on the outside at the next level, something the Patriots need as they don’t really have a true X receiver on their roster.

Pearsall was productive over his last few seasons and had a really strong season in 2023 considering Florida’s poor quarterback play, recording 65 receptions for 965 yards and four touchdowns.

No. 70: Notre Dame OT Blake Fisher (from Giants)

The Patriots nearly went with Texas running back Jonathon Brooks here as he would provide an instant playmaking apart for a team that needs it.

Ultimately, New England knows it still has a big need at offensive tackle. Wolf shared last week that Pittsburgh Steelers castoff Chukwuma Okorafor would be the team’s starting left tackle if the season started today, so they still need to upgrade that position even after re-signing right tackle Mike Onwenu to a massive deal this offseason.

Fisher was primarily a right tackle in college with Joe Alt commanding the left side. But Notre Dame actually recruited Fisher to be a left tackle, starting him there for his first start in college before a knee injury sidelined him.

So, Fisher seems like he can play left tackle in the league. He certainly has the size for it, standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 310 pounds. He allowed eight sacks and 18 pressures over the last two years, which isn’t necessarily elite. But as the 2024 season sets up to be a development year for the Patriots, Fisher could be the perfect player to develop.

No. 75: UNC WR Devontez Walker (from Chicago Bears)

The Patriots didn’t make their pick at the top of the third round, opting to move the No. 68 overall pick after the Bears came calling to offer their third-round selection (No. 75) and their fourth-round pick (No. 122).

Even with the trade down, New England is still in a good spot to add to its wide receivers room as it needs all the help it can get at the position. So, it takes Walker here.

Walker has similar traits to Pearsall, but was more limited to playing along the boundary in college. He has good size and his 4.36 40 time was the fourth-fastest among receivers at the combine. Scouts have concerns over his route tree, which might be why he falls to later in Day 2. But he had 41 receptions for 699 yards and seven touchdowns in just eight games last year, missing time due to an unusual eligibility situation.

No. 103: Florida State CB Jarrian Jones

With their first pick in the fourth round, the Patriots opt to make their first defensive selection in the draft.

Even though New England selected Christian Gonzalez with its first-round pick last year, it still can use some corner help. Jonathan Jones is on the wrong side of 30 and entering the final year of his deal while Marcus Jones is relatively unproven after his second season ended early due to a shoulder injury.

So, Jones can help the Patriots corner situation in a notable way. He mostly played nickel in college, but scouts believe he can play on the boundary in the NFL as well. He stands at 6 feet and ran a 4.38 40 time, giving him the physical size to match up with most receivers and tight ends in the league.

Jones had three interceptions for the Seminoles this past season.

No. 122: Washington State EDGE Brennan Jackson (from Bears)

Matthew Judon and Josh Uche are in contract years, so it’d be smart for the Patriots to address their edge rusher situation at some point in the draft. Jackson had 14.5 sacks over the last two seasons for the Cougars.

No. 137: Clemson RB Will Shipley

Similar to the Jackson pick, Rhamondre Stevenson is entering the final year of his contract. Shipley was highly productive at Clemson, rushing for over five yards per carry and 31 touchdowns in the last three years.

No. 180: UCLA EDGE Grayson Murphy

You can’t have enough depth at edge! So, the Patriots add Murphy, who had 10 sacks in his two seasons at UCLA.

No. 193: Michigan LB Michael Barrett

Barrett was a standout on Michigan’s title-winning defense, recording 65 total tackles and 3.5 sacks last season. Patriots get some defensive playmaking upside here.

No. 231: Arizona TE Tanner McLachlan

MacLachlan doesn’t seem likely to fall to the seventh round, but he fell to the Patriots’ final pick in the simulation we ran. So, the Patriots take a low-risk investment on a tight end who had 528 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season.