Losing to the Miami Dolphins has shifted the focus from the current season to 2024 and beyond for outsiders regarding the New England Patriots.
Granted, coach Bill Belichick and the team itself will do its best to win as many games as possible the rest of the way, but the hope of a turnaround and late playoff push was left in South Beach on Sunday.
The Patriots are currently one of the worst teams in the NFL with a 2-6 record, which puts them in line for one of the top picks of the 2024 NFL draft. That means they’ll have an opportunity to come away with an impactful rookie in the next draft class.
The thought of starting over and rebuilding for the future is a more comforting head space to be in than the weekly headaches of the team wallowing in misery right now.
If the season ended today, here’s where the Patriots would pick in the 2024 NFL draft, via Tankathon: