Where Plummeting Patriots Fall In Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

At this rate, tanking might not even be necessary for the Patriots to earn the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

New England on Sunday fell to a stunning 1-5 with its deflating road loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. This is the first time the Patriots have been 1-5 since 1995, five seasons before Bill Belichick took over as head coach.

With Week 6 now in the books, the NFL on Tuesday released the first official order for the 2024 draft. And if the season ended Tuesay, the Patriots would have the sixth overall pick.

Here’s the full top 10, using strength of schedule as the first tiebreaker:

1. Chicago Bears (via 0-6 Carolina Panthers)
2. Chicago Bears (1-5)
4. Arizona Cardinas (1-5)
5. Denver Broncos (1-5)
6. New England Patriots (1-5)
7. Minnesota Vikings (2-4)
8. Tennessee Titans (2-4)
9. Green Bay Packers (2-3)
10. Los Angeles Chargers (2-3)

Barring a major turnaround, Mac Jones probably has lost the right to be New England’s quarterback of the future. The Patriots should target a QB early in this draft, potentially with their first-round pick.

The top prize is USC star Caleb Williams, who’s the favorite to go first overall. But UNC quarterback Drake Maye also is viewed as a likely top-five pick, with some teams ranking him ahead of Williams.

The problem for the Patriots could be that a majority of the teams in the top 10 also want a new quarterback. That likely would be the case for the Titans, Vikings, Broncos and Cardinals.

The Bears, who currently own the top two picks, are the real wild card. If they’re sold on Justin Fields as their franchise quarterback, they could look to trade one of those picks. A major bidding war obviously would ensue.

Unfortunately, this is where New England is at. Its season basically is over, and all that’s left to talk about is draft position, the future of Bill Belichick and whether Jones will remain the starter for another week.