Grading the draft class for each AFC East team after 2024 NFL Draft
New England Patriots
Round 1, Pick 3-Drake Maye, Quarterback, UNC,
Round 2, Pick 37-Ja'Lynn Polk, Wide Receiver, Washington
Round 3, Pick 68-Caedan Wallace, Offensive Line, Penn State
Round 4, Pick 103-Layden Robinson, Offensive Line, Texas A&M
Round 4, Pick 110-Javon Baker, Wide Receiver, UCF
Round 6, Pick 180-Marcellas Dial, Cornerback, South Carolina
Round 6, Pick 193-Joe Milton III, Quarterback, Tennessee
Round 7, Pick 231-Jaheim Bell, Tight End, Florida State
The Patriots got their quarterback in Drake Maye. That is a pretty good pick in and of itself, but it's also the players they acquired in this draft to surround Maye. The Patriots got arguably the best double-dip at wide receiver in Ja'Lynn Polk in the second round and a draft crush of mine in the 4th in Javon Baker.
These 2 receiving options will help bolster an underwhelming wide receiver room for the Patriots. But the Patriots didn't stop there. They needed to not just improve at quarterback and their weapons around him, but also the protection around their rookie quarterback (or Jacoby Brissett if he is the slated starter so Maye can learn).
They bolstered the interior with two interior offensive linemen back to back with Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson. They also picked a tight end in the seventh round who has some upside to be a plus player in this offense in Jaheim Bell.
The only question mark was their last sixth round pick in Joe Milton III, but even this can be justified. Brissett was the only starting quarterback on this roster, so double dipping at the position can help the depth there. Also, both Maye and Milton are similar quarterbacks, so the system around these QBs does not have to change drastically if Maye goes down.
Overall, a very good draft from these (hated) Patriots, and we can only hope that most of these draft picks bust, or else the Bills will have another headache to deal with outside of the Jets and Dolphins.