With the 2024 NFL draft nearly two weeks away, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicted the first two picks for the New England Patriots in his latest two-round mock draft.
Kiper has the organization selecting North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick, and in Round 2, he has the team drafting Keon Coleman, the playmaking wide receiver from Florida State. These two selections would complement each other well, and it would immediately give Maye talent at the wide receiver position to work with.
New England has needed a playmaking wide receiver for quite some time, and Coleman would certainly fit the bill there. He tallied 115 catches for 1,506 yards and 19 touchdowns in a collegiate career that saw him play for both Michigan State and the Seminoles.
Coleman is coming off a 2023 season that saw him record 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns. His explosiveness was on display, as he averaged 13.2 yards per reception.
Kiper offered his evaluations on the Maye pick first:
I made the case for the Patriots trading down in my Mock Draft 3.0, but if this is the way the board shakes out, I think they’re more likely to take Maye and secure their franchise quarterback. Of course, they thought they were doing that in 2021, when they drafted Mac Jones in Round 1, and Jones is now the backup in Jacksonville. Evaluating quarterbacks is hard, but I have a top-10 grade on Maye, who is an elite deep-ball thrower.
Kiper then shifted his focus onto Coleman with the No. 34 overall pick in the second round:
New England’s depth chart at receiver needs to be beefed up if quarterback Drake Maye — whom I projected to the Patriots at No. 3 — is going to succeed. The Pats ranked 29th in receiving yards by receivers (1,909) last season. Coleman doesn’t have great speed, but he can win contested catches with his 6-foot-3 frame. He had 11 touchdown catches last season, five of which came on fade routes.
The quarterback-wide receiver combo is something that New England needs in order to succeed. Both positions have struggled for the Patriots over the last couple of seasons, and Maye and Coleman would be two players capable of bringing an immediate spark.