Tag: patriots draft

Instant analysis of Patriots selecting Drake Maye with No. 3 pick

It’s a new era for the Patriots’ quarterback position

The pick is in for the New England Patriots in the 2024 NFL draft, and it’s North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

I am ecstatic as an evaluator and a Patriots fan. Drake Maye is the best quarterback in this class for me by a very slim margin, but he has the makings to be a top-10 quarterback in the NFL for years to come.

After the Patriots brass teased with trade downs all week, the board fell their way, and they were able to grab their guy.

Maye isn’t perfect, and he needs to work on some things. But his arm talent, poise, toughness, leadership and athleticism is aligned with some of the game’s elite.

The Patriots could look to start him right away, or they might be hoping he will be ready to go at mid-season, which is my guess. In the meantime, Jacoby Brissett will likely be the starter, mentor and eventual backup to Maye.

Maye aligns well with the Alex Van Pelt offense, but that offense will need a lot more pieces before it can get clicking at a high level.

The Patriots, as of now, are on the board again on Friday at pick No. 34, where they will likely target either a receiver or offensive tackle to join their new franchise quarterback.

4 scenarios could make Patriots pass on drafting QB with No. 3 pick

Is there any scenario where the Patriots would actually pass on drafting a QB? Patriots Wire’s Cam Garrity explores four possibilities.

After a 4-13 finish to the 2023 season, the New England Patriots are selecting third overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

Most are expecting them to take a quarterback with the pick, but they could just as easily go in an entirely different direction. There’s no sugar-coating the fact that they are not a good football team. The defense was in the top-10 in the NFL, but it’s an offensive-centric league now.

With an offense that has been near the bottom in the last few seasons, they need a hard reset.

The Patriots recently named Alex Van Pelt as their offensive coordinator. Van Pelt has virtually a blank canvas to come in and shape his offense. With no roster commitments in terms of draft capital used in recent years, or bad contracts, the Patriots could theoretically wipe the slate clean.

I do not think that will be the case, but the option will be there for them do so if they see fit. Let’s take a look at some scenarios that could keep the Patriots from taking a quarterback with the No.3 pick.

Best NFL comparisons to every Patriots 2023 NFL draft pick

Who are the best veteran comparisons to each of the Patriots’ 2023 draft picks?

The New England Patriots selected 12 prospects in the 2023 NFL draft, and not every player was on the radar for fans.

One of the more fun ways to introduce people to new players is doing NFL player comparisons. Obviously, this is not an exact science, and we’re basically going more on feelings.

We certainly hope these prospects can all turn out like their comparisons.

The issue with these is that some players may exceed and become their own comparison, while others could be out of the league in a few years. I’m going to skip kicker Chad Ryland and Punter Bryce Baringer on this list, as it’s pretty hard to try and form a comparison for a specialist.

The Patriots have a type when it comes to draft prospects. So are these picks more of the same, or are we beginning to see changes as Bill Belichick creeps toward the end of his coaching career?

Let’s dive into it.

Patriots pull off three trades in final seven-round 2023 mock draft

Things get wild for the Patriots in this final 2023 NFL mock draft.

As NFL draft week creeps in, it’s time for one last mock draft before the first team is on the clock.

The Patriots currently hold the 14th overall pick, and with rumors circulating on who they want, if they’ll trade up or down, or what position their leaning, it may ease some minds with one last mock draft.

In this mock draft, we’ll be going where I think the Patriots will go with their picks, but it is not a recommendation on what I think they should do. I just recently completed my draft kit with the top 10 at each position and a top-50 big board. So that’ll give you a sense of how I truly view this prospect class.

All weekend long, stay tuned to Patriots Wire for draft coverage, the undrafted free agent tracker and more. For now, let’s get into the seven-round mock draft.

2023 official NFL draft kit from Cam Garrity

All of your draft needs are here, from big-board rankings to breakdowns and grades for top prospects.

As the 2023 NFL Draft rolls in, it’s time for our official draft kit. I did this kit last year for our friends at Lions Wire wanted to bring it back for another year.

I typically start official draft preparation in the New Year and spend a few months diving into players on film and re-watching full games for situational awareness. I do watch college football games year-round. So I have a general sense of the players that popped. This is just a deeper dive that is started in January.

I like to spend all my focus on one player at a time before giving out my grade, essentially filling out my top 10 at each position then organizing the top-50 big board. This helps form the kit right in time for the draft so that any fans reading it can get a general sense of the player, their skills, where they went and how they fit.

I also take a look at the big boards across multiple different sources and different mediums to understand the general consensus of players eligible and where people rank them. This is usually done as quality control for my own work once my evaluations are completed.

The big board is just a starting point in a vacuum.

As the draft rolls on, positional value, team needs and fit all come into play. So sometimes, player No. 10 might go first overall, and that’s simply because players 1-9 do not make sense for them to grab. I would recommend filling for need and fit regardless of the big board, unless that player was a can’t miss, Hall of Fame-level talent right out of the gate.

Before we jump right into the kit, here’s a little background of the grading system I use:

Patriots’ full 7-round 2023 mock draft 5.0

With the NFL Scouting Combine in the rearview, here’s a full seven-round draft for the Patriots.

With the NFL Scouting Combine in the rearview, it’s time to check back in with the our latest, seven-round mock draft.

The Patriots have utilized an approach to find more explosive athletes in the draft, as they added Cole Strange, Tyquan Thornton, and Pierre Strong Jr.,  who all scored over a 8.5 RAS (relative athletic score) in 2022. Marcus Jones, although explosive, did not have an RAS score as he did not participate during the combine.

In this mock draft, like the others, we will be focusing on what the Patriots will likely do, rather than what I would do.

Without further hesitation, let’s get into the Patriots’ latest 2023 mock draft haul.

Full 7-round Patriots 2023 mock draft 1.0

Here’s a full seven-round 2023 mock draft for the Patriots.

The New England Patriots’ season is over, and picks 1-18 are set for the 2023 NFL draft. So what better time to do our first official mock draft than now?

The Patriots will without a doubt have some changes across the board with either coaching or personnel—or both. The draft is always important because it’s the best way to improve a roster with young, talented and cheap prospects filling direct needs.

During the offseason, we will be doing mock drafts throughout that will take you right up until the actual draft. I will be using PFF’s mock draft simulator with trades on. This will be all seven rounds of pure chaos, and I will treat the board as if I was the GM of the New England Patriots.

Without further ado, let’s get into the Patriots’ 2023 mock draft.

NFL Draft: Which position will the New England Patriots draft first?

Assessing 2020 NFL Draft odds centered which position the New England Patriots will draft first.

The New England Patriots once again traded out of the first round of the NFL draft when they dealt the 23rd overall pick to the Los Angeles Chargers Thursday in exchange for picks No. 37 and 71. As Bill Belichick gets set to make the fifth overall selection of the second round Friday, April 24, we look at BetMGM‘s odds for which position the Patriots will be looking to draft.

2020 NFL Draft: Which position will the Patriots draft first? Odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Friday, April 24 at 12:30 p.m. ET.

POSITION ODDS
Defensive lineman +400
Tight end +400
Linebacker +500
Quarterback +500
Wide receiver +500
Safety +600
Offensive lineman +700
Cornerback +1000
Running back +5000
Kicker/punter/long snapper +25000

2020 NFL Draft: Which position will the Patriots draft first? Best bets

Tight end (+400)

Future Hall of Fame TE Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement this week only to be traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a reunion with QB Tom Brady. It was blatantly evident how much Gronk’s absence hurt the 2019 Patriots. Veteran TE Ben Watson led the team’s positional group with 173 yards on 17 receptions without a touchdown.

While Brady has moved on, Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels‘ system has hinged on having elite tight end play. Notre Dame TE Cole Kmet had emerged as a first-round hopeful in the days leading up to the first round, but he remains on the board. Florida Atlantic’s Harrison Bryant and Dayton‘s Adam Trautman round out the top remaining options at the position as Day 2 picks.

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Quarterback (+500)

The Patriots’ offseason quarterback competition is set be staged between veteran journeyman and former Patriots QB Brian Hoyer and 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham. Stidham attempted just four passes with two completions for 14 yards and an interception.

It still seems odd for the Pats to be caught flat-footed with Brady’s departure after the days of grooming Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, among others. It’s tough to envision the Patriots ever going into full-on tank mode with Belichick still at the helm, so they’re apt to do what they can to address the most important position as they reset for years to come.

Jacob Eason, Jake Fromm and Jalen Hurts represent three viable options who could be brought in to learn from Hoyer (and to a lesser extent, Stidham) before taking over either late in 2020 or in 2021.

Wide receiver (+500)

Veteran Julian Edelman remains the Patriots’ top option in the passing game. N’Keal Harry, the Patriots’ 2019 first-round pick, was unimpressive as a rookie last season, finishing with just 105 yards and two touchdowns over seven games. Veteran Mohamed Sanu accomplished little following a mid-season trade with the Atlanta Falcons.

Targeting a top remaining rookie such as Michael Pittman, Tee Higgins or Laviska Shenault Jr. could go a long way in luring one of the top remaining free-agent QBs in Cam Newton or Jameis Winston to town on a one-year deal.

If the Pats are serious about riding with Hoyer and Stidham, then a true No. 1 option may be all the more important.

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7 Georgia Bulldogs taken in CBSSports’ full NFL mock draft

CBS Sports released a full NFL mock draft that included 7 Georgia football players being taken.

Most NFL mock drafts that we’ve seen over the past couple of months have had 2-3 Georgia football players going in the first round.

However, in CBS Sports’ most recent 7-round mock draft, the outlet has just one Dawg taken in the first round, and that’s left tackle Andrew Thomas.

Analyst Chris Trapasso projects the New York Jets to take Thomas with the No. 11 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which is currently scheduled for April 23 in Las Vegas.

On Thomas, Trapasso wrote:

Jets GM Joe Douglas knows how vital an offensive line is after his time in Philadelphia. Thomas was outstanding the two seasons at Georgia and has length for days.

Trapasso has Thomas ranked as the 15th overall player in the draft class and 4th ranked offensive tackle.

In total, Trapasso has seven Georgia players going in the draft.

Round 2:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Solomon Kindley has advice for former Georgia football teammates

Georgia football offensive guard Solomon Kindley has advice for his former UGA teammates while at the NFL Combine.

Georgia offensive guard Solomon Kindley is in Indianapolis this week for the NFL Combine.

Viewed anywhere from a first to third round draft pick, Kindley is meeting with teams, undergoing body measurements and eventually will partake in on-field drills.

Related: Solomon Kindley a classic NFL guard

Kindley said he has already met with the Packers and Patriots and has plans to meet with the Falcons and the Chiefs.

Since 2017, he started 10 games at right guard and 26 at left guard. He left Georgia with one year of eligibility remaining, and during an interview at the combine he mentioned that he misses Athens and his teammates back in Georgia.

“I’m not going to lie, I miss my teammates,” Kindley said. “I miss my little brothers. I miss them UGA Dawgs.”

When asked what he missed most about Kirby Smart, Kindley noted that it was Kirby’s drive and constant motivation that he has missed the most.

He also went on to give advice to the younger Bulldogs in Athens.

“Take it all in. Just soak it all up because it feels like I had just got there and now I’m here already. Don’t waste no time. The time is short at Georgia. Everything you do, you gotta pay attention to.”

“Do everything the right way.”

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