Bill Belichick's bottomed-out Patriots move for Mac Jones' successor in 2024 NFL Mock Draft
Bill Belichick's New England Patriots have not had a very good go of it since they drafted Mac Jones. The team made the playoffs in his rookie season, but it appears that he has not progressed since- and the team hasn't, either.
Jones has been more of a game manager than the team has needed. He isn't able to move the offense very well, which also comes down to the lack of weapons on offense. Nevertheless, the Patriots are in line to have a very good draft pick this year in a great QB class. Our mock draft has them taking Jones' successor.
Patriots mock draft sees Drake Maye heading to Foxboro
Most NFL mock drafts have the Patriots landing Drake Maye as the second quarterback off the board, and ours is no different. It's a perfect match, as Maye is an elite quarterback with the tools to be a game-changer rather than a game manager.
Post their Week 10 disasterclass against the Indianapolis Colts in Germany, Belichick has steered clear of naming Mac Jones as the starter after his unceremonious benching, which strengthens the case for a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Maye has been an absolute star at the University of North Carolina. He has elite arm talent and can drive the ball down the field. He also has enough athleticism to run the ball when necessary, but he's not a mobile quarterback. He fits the mold of what the Patriots have used and looked for, but with better athleticism and a much higher ceiling.
However, if you insert the UNC QB into the current Patriots offense, it's only going to get marginally better. Jones appears to have flamed out, but the offense surrounding him isn't great.
Rhamondre Stevenson is a fine running back (albeit not spectacular), but the pass-catchers aren't very good. Kendrick Bourne is solid but out for the year. DeVante Parker, Demario Douglas and JuJu Sith-Schuster don't push the needle much, either.
Mike Gesicki hasn't made an impact, and Hunter Henry is wildly inconsistent. They're both free agents at year's end, so pass-catchers should be second on Belichick's to-do list this upcoming NFL draft.
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Our three-round 2024 NFL Mock Draft sees the Pats filling all of the above needs. They land Maye to be their franchise quarterback and they get a wide receiver and a tight end to help him.
Troy Franklin, a highly-touted wide receiver from Oregon, fell to the Patriots in the second round, and they were able to land talented tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders from Texas.
In just one year, the Patriots can turn around their offense. With Belichick and a pretty solid defensive core, that may be all they need to get back to the postseason.