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Kelley: New England Patriots Seven Round Mock Draft

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2 months ago

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NFL Draft prospect, Ohio State's Marvin Harrison, Jr. is the top wide receiver prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. Will the New England Patriots select him third overall?

With the 2024 NFL Draft just over six weeks away, I will begin posting a mock draft every Wednesday between now and the start of the draft on April 25. These drafts will be done using the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator. I will draft for the New England Patriots and post the results for the seven rounds. Only one attempt will be given each week for the draft. No trades will be made, at least for now.

These will be my selections for the Patriots, not who I believe they will draft. That is a different exercise for another day.

Without further ado, the 2024 NFL Draft selections for the New England Patriots.

New England Patriots seven round 2024 NFL Mock Draft

Round 1 (No. 3 overall) – WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State

Marvin Harrison Jr. is the number one overall player on my draft board. Do I believe New England is going to select him at three? I do not. In the interests of full disclosure, I doubt I would either. I like the quarterback who will be available to the Patriots at three and I expect they will take one. However, with free agent Calvin Ridley just signing a four-year $92 million deal, the cost of top wide receivers is getting out of control, and the Patriots need one. It is a deep draft at wide receiver but impossible to tell who will still be available beyond the first round. So, for now, I am doing the safest thing and grabbing the new face of the franchise.

Round 2 (No. 34 overall) – QB Bo Nix, Oregon

I like Bo Nix more than many do. It would not surprise me if Nix gets selected far earlier than No. 34. Nix reminds me a bit of Drew Brees, though a Hall of Fame comp is admittedly unfair. Bo Nix is two inches taller than Brees, who was drafted No. 32 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. That year the Chargers took a dynamic skill-position player in Round 1 (LaDainian Tomlinson) and then a quarterback in Round 2. Will my pair also wind up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Only time will tell.

Round 3 (No. 68 overall) – OT Patrick Paul, Houston

Patrick Paul‘s availability in Round 3 works out well for my draft Again, this is a player I seem to be higher on than many. Paul was one of the most difficult players to scout. There were games that the opposition didn’t even challenge him with a pass rush, opting to attack the Cougars’ other side instead. He has good size at 6-foot-7.5 and 331 pounds, though he can easily bulk up even more. Paul would not be forced to start immediately in New England. Mike Onwenu, Chukwuma Okorafor, Calvin Anderson, Conor McDermott, Sidy Sow, Vederian Lowe, and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. are among the options to start for the New England Patriots at tackle next season. Paul has a chance to improve his strength and technique under Scott Peters while providing a potential bookend for many seasons into the future.

Round 4 (No. 103) – CB Max Melton, Rutgers

Wasn’t planning on drafting a cornerback here, but Max Melton feels like too good of a talent to pass up on. The Rutgers product was outstanding at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine. He ran a sub-4.40 in the 40-yard dash and his 11’4″ broad jump was the longest of any cornerback. At 5’11” and 187 pounds Melton doesn’t have the size of some other cornerbacks, but he showed he is a strong competitor and an athlete. If he was 6’2″ they’d be talking about him in Round 1. Excellent depth addition with the chance to blossom into a full-time starter opposite Christian Gonzalez. He can also contribute to special teams.

Round 5 (No. 137) – RB Isaac Guerendo, Louisville

New England featured Rhamondre Stevenson as their RB1. They’ve added Antonio Gibson in free agency, who does the bulk of his damage in the passing game. Guerendo gives the Patriots an explosive back behind Stevenson, who is set to become a free agent in 2025. Isaac Guerendo was not even the featured back on Louisville last season, with that distinction going to Jawhar Jordan. But Guerendo made the most of his opportunities, rushing for 810 yards on just 132 carries (6.1 yards/carry) and scoring 11 touchdowns. He also had 22 receptions for 234 yards. Guerendo turned heads at the combine, running a blazing 4.33 in the 40-yard dash. It was the fifth fastest time for a running back in combine history and fastest for one as big as Guerendo (6-foot-0, 221 pounds).

Note: I admittedly had a bit of drafter’s remorse after this selection. I was planning on taking a tight end, but Guerendo was too appealing to pass up. The tight ends I had targeted were no longer available with my next selection. That said, I’m still happy with the pick.

Round 6 (No. 186) – TE Tip Reiman, Illinois

The New England Patriots lost tight end Pharaoh Brown in free agency. They replace him here with the best blocking tight end in the 2024 NFL Draft. Standing 6-foot-5 and 271 pounds, Tip Reiman certainly has the size and strength to play the position at the next level. His 10-yard split tied for the best among tight ends, despite an average 40-time…and weighing in at 271. Reiman impressed in positional drills, noticeably attacking the blocking sleds. He put up the most reps on the bench press of any tight end in several years. Reiman bench-pressed 225 pounds 28 times. For comparison, Rob Gronkowski put up 23 reps back in 2010.

Round 6 (No. 193) – DE Brennan Jackson, Washington State

There were several edge rushers I considered here. A few of my “sleepers” performed too well at the combine to still be available this late. Brennan Jackson is a solid football player. It is tempting to go for the player with the highest upside this late (see this Top 100 prospects board) but getting a player who looks like he’ll stick in the league is tough to pass up too. A fifth-year senior for the Cougars, Jackson improved every season. He finished 2023 with 57 tackles, 8.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and four fumble recoveries, scoring on two of them. At 6-foot-4, 264 pounds, Jackson can still add mass to his frame. He plays with tremendous energy and is tough to miss on film. Has the ability to be a solid rotational edge with the upside to be more.

Round 7 (No. 231) – OG C.J. Hanson, Holy Cross

The New England Patriots have some solid depth at guard, especially after signing free agent Nick Leverett in free agency. This simply came down to C.J. Hanson being too good of a prospect to still be around this late in the draft. After a stellar career at Holy Cross, Hanson proved he could play with the big boys. He had a solid Senior Bowl and was the most impressive offensive guard at the NFL Scouting Combine. It is unlikely Hanson will last this long in the actual NFL Draft, but if he does it would be tough to pass him over, regardless of positional depth.

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