2024 NFL Draft Grades: New England Patriots

Day 1 grade: A-
Day 2 grade: C
Day 3 grade: B

Analysis: New England needed a new signal-caller in the worst way. Refining Maye's skills could help the team compete in the AFC East over the next few seasons. The selections of Polk and Wallace addressed needs for the Patriots, but we'll see if staying put in the second round to take Ladd McConkey -- instead of trading down -- and focusing on a different position early in Round 3 would have been better choices.

Robinson should have been a third-round pick, so I understood the selection, even after the team's investment in interior lineman in last year's draft. It would not surprise me if Baker turned out to be just as good as Polk in two years because of his ability to win downfield. The team picked the strong-armed but inconsistent Milton with the sixth-round selection it acquired from the Jaguars for Mac Jones.

Top needs entering the draft: Quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle

In their first draft without Bill Belichick in charge since 2000, the Patriots were facing several questions about their roster. Could they find a quarterback of the future? Could they find a potential rookie starter along the offensive line? And could they find an impact wide receiver to help their new QB? They certainly tried to answer "yes" to all three.

This was New England's first top-five pick since 1994, and its depth chart is depleted at a few positions. Director of scouting Eliot Wolf, who ran the draft room, didn't have any extra selections on the first two days. This draft was about rebooting. And it was good to see Wolf & Co. lock on to Drake Maye (3) as their quarterback of the future, then focus on surrounding their young passer with more talent. While I didn't love the value of wideout Ja'Lynn Polk (37) high in Round 2, there are no doubts about his college production and potential. Can he develop into a solid No. 2 for Maye? I had receiver Javon Baker (110) only 10 spots lower in my rankings than Polk, and the Pats were able to get him in Round 4. Baker dominated on go-balls on his way to a 1,139-yard 2023 season.

New England reached for offensive tackle Caedan Wallace (68), though there was a run at the position and teams were scooping tackles up quickly. Layden Robinson (103) has extremely long arms for a guard, but he lacked concentration at times and was inconsistent as a run-blocker. I have him at No. 177 in my rankings. Quarterback Joe Milton III (193) has a rocket of a right arm but struggled with accuracy, while tight end Jaheim Bell (231) was stellar after the catch.

Wolf hit this roster's biggest needs with his top picks and now has a quarterback to build around. I don't expect the Patriots to be a great team this season, but at least their offense will be fun to watch.

THE PATRIOTS DID EXACTLY WHAT YOU'D HOPE A TEAM THAT NEEDS TO REBUILD ITS OFFENSE FROM THE GROUND UP WOULD DO IN THIS DRAFT. With their first pick, New England nabbed my second-ranked quarterback in Drake Maye—then quickly went to work finding him some much-needed support. De facto GM Eliot Wolf grabbed one of my favorite receivers in this class in the second round, drafting a do-it-all pass catcher in Ja'Lynn Polk at no. 37. He turned around in the third round and selected an athletic offensive tackle, Caedan Wallace, then added offensive guard Layden Robinson and receiver Javon Baker in the fourth round. I especially like the Baker pick; he's a twitchy route runner who can get vertical and separate. New England also added intriguing tight end Jaheim Bell in the seventh round, giving the team a versatile H-back type of player who can line up and create mismatches from the slot, out wide, or even in the backfield. The Patriots still have plenty of work to do in surrounding Maye with difference-making playmakers, but this was a good start.

Though it must have been tempting to sell the No. 3 pick for the draft assets a fallen dynasty clearly needs, new director of scouting Eliot Wolf was probably wise to stay in the fairway and take North Carolina QB Drake Maye ... and hope it all goes much better than the Mac Jones experience. And it should given the support the new regime should provide, not to mention the Jacoby Brissett Band-Aid option. An offense awash in WR2s took another in Washington WR2 Ja'Lynn Polk, Odunze's understudy ... though fourth-round WR Javon Baker of Central Florida could be a steal here. And the team is apparently hoping third-round OT Caedan Wallace, a right tackle exclusively at Penn State, can man the left side in front of Maye. Hmmm. Sixth-round QB Joe Milton III's arm will outshine Maye's, and his is no noodle.

Drake Maye didn't have the support he needed when the Patriots took him third overall. And a prospect like Maye — who is high risk, high reward — will need plenty of support to reach his potential. So it's worth crediting executive Eliot Wolf for spending the next four picks (a second, third and two fourths) on offensive players. New England added receivers Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. The Patriots even doubled up at QB with Joe Milton (Tennessee), another prospect with an incredible arm (albeit with rough accuracy and touch). It's clear the Patriots wanted to prioritize their offense, and it feels like the board lined up with their needs. —McKenna

Best Pick: Fourth-round receiver Javon Baker will help the passing game right away. He is already squawking about teams passing on him. I love that attitude -- and he plays with it, too.

Worst Pick: Third-round tackle Caedan Wallace from Penn State started for four years, but he was drafted a bit too high. Some teams think he might have to go inside to guard.

The Skinny: It doesn't matter what else the Patriots do in the draft, this one will be defined by taking North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick. If he's a star, this draft will be special. If not, it won't be. I like his game, but it might take time. The cast around him isn't great.

Analysis: The Patriots did pretty well with new GM Eliot Wolf and new coach Jerod Mayo in the first draft of the post-Bill Belichick era. The key was the much-needed refocus on offense, starting with Maye and taking a shot at another high-ceiling QB later just in case with Milton. Polk and Baker were the best picks to upgrade the weaponry for those rookies inside and out. Wallace and Robinson were considerable reaches, but they did fall in line with needs up front.

Analysis: The Patriots made the right decision to stay at No. 3 and take Maye, who has been a highly touted prospect for years. GM Eliot Wolf then continued his offensive surge with Polk and Wallace, and Polk may already be the best receiver in New England. If Maye works out, the Patriots have their future franchise quarterback, especially if Jerod Mayo proves a long-term fixture at coach.

The Mac Jones experiment is officially over, and now, the Patriots' new regime has a quarterback type they really haven't had since Steve Grogan — a big athletic dude who can zing the ball downfield and run the ball more than defenses would like. That's what Drake Maye is, and if he can work out the mechanical issues that have him spraying the ball all over the place at times, there's a lot to like here.

(Go look it up. In the late 1970s, Steve Grogan was the definition of "sneaky athletic.")

The other thing the Patriots needed on offense? Receivers who can make big plays, and they got two of them in Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. Both are big guys with good speed, and between them and Maye at quarterback, the Patriots will have an offensive identity you're not used to. Which is a good thing, given how that offense has looked since Tom Brady took his talents to middle Florida.

I also love the addition of Florida State tight end Jaheim Bell, who can turn third-and-4 to first-and-10, and will occasionally throw in a house call. I'm not sure what the Joe Milton strategy is, but it'll be fun in the preseason to watch Milton throw the ball 80 yards downfield. Good luck knowing where the ball is going, though.