Patriots 2024 Draft Outlook: 11 Players To Watch During Bowl Season
Well, mostly players
Welcome to the Patriots Prospect Preview, the only place to find college football prospects worth keeping your Patriots-happy eye on throughout the year. It’s bowl season!
It’s been quite the ride, but it’s time we finally say goodbye to the Patriots Prospect Preview.
You’ve had the privilege (that might be a tad strong) of learning about 64 prospects over the last four months, and we’ve decided to make it a nice round number of 75. That means we’re about to hit double-digits, so let’s quit wasting time and jump into some more prospects that might be of interest to the Patriots.
Jonah Monheim (No. 79), OT, USC
Holiday Bowl: vs. Louisville (Dec. 27: 8 p.m. ET on FOX)
It was a difficult task finding players on the USC who hadn’t opted out of this game, and we’re not even sure Monheim is going to play, but he’s too good to overlook.
There might not be an offensive lineman with better footwork in this class, which makes him the perfect prospect for the Patriots, who could be looking to draft multiple offensive tackles. This is a perfect mid-round prospect for New England.
McKinnley Jackson (No. 35), DT, Texas A&M
Texas Bowl: vs. Oklahoma State (Dec. 27: 9 p.m. ET on ESPN)
This is another guy who might not play, but we’re going to talk about a ton of them, so let’s just get that out of the way. We picked Jackson because he checks a lot of Patriots boxes.
He was a two-time captain at Texas A&M. He’s a 6-foot-2, 320-pound space eater. He played in a two-gap system. New England’s two interior run stuffers will be on the wrong side of 30 in 2024. He fits.
L.J. Johnson (No. 11), RB, SMU
Fenway Bowl: vs. Boston College (Dec. 28: 11 a.m. ET on ESPN)
We had to get a representative of the Fenway Bowl on here. It’s SMU and Boston College, and considering we already profiled Christian Mahogany in Week 3, we went with an electrifying player in Johnson.
He doesn’t do anything specifically that New England would fall in love with, but he’s a solid back who could declare after a good performance.
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Cody Schrader (No. 7), RB, Missouri
Cotton Bowl: vs. Ohio State (Dec. 29: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Schrader is going to be a darling once the NFL draft comes around, but it’s not necessarily for his hulking stature or athletic gifts. This guy’s a grinder and has also become one of the best running backs in college football over the last couple of seasons.
The sixth-year rusher was named an AP All-American this season, finishing with 1,499 yards and 13 touchdowns. That’s despite entering his collegiate career as a Division II walk-on at Truman State. He’s a great story, and definitely worth watching for as a possible late-round selection.
Jack Sawyer (No. 33), EDGE, Ohio State
Cotton Bowl: vs. Missouri (Dec. 29: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN)
It might be a tad harsh saying Jack Sawyer has disappointed throughout his career with the Buckeyes, but that’s what happens when you’re labeled as the next Joey Bosa.
Sawyer’s been nothing but solid and has a chance to really put his dominance in the run game on display against Mizzou. He reminds us of Patriots edge Anfernee Jennings, so there’s no doubt he’s got the ability to grab New England’s attention.
Theo Johnson (No. 84), TE, Penn State
Peach Bowl: vs. Ole Miss (12 p.m. ET on ESPN)
The Patriots need a tight end, and there might not be a rookie more ready to step in and play next season than Johnson.
He’s not going to wow anyone in the passing game, but Johnson is already a great red-zone threat and can block with the best of them. If New England doesn’t swing big at the position, Johnson would be perfect for them in the third round.
Ladd McConkey (No. 84), WR, Georgia
Orange Bowl: vs. Florida State (4 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Just Google him.
More Patriots
Bucky Irving (No. 0), RB, Oregon
Fiesta Bowl: vs. Liberty (1 p.m. ET on ESPN)
We’ve listed quite a few running backs here, and for good reason. The Patriots could be remarkably thin at the position depending on what Ezekiel Elliott does this offseason.
Rhamondre Stevenson is New England’s top guy, but they could still use a quality No. 2 and No. 3 without Elliott. Irving would be the perfect guy to step in and take over some of that third-down responsibility. He could very well be a bell cow in the future, but early on there’s no better place for him to learn than behind Stevenson.
T’Vondre Sweat (No. 93), DT, Texas
CFP Semifinal at the Sugar Bowl: vs. Washington (5 p.m. ET on ESPN)
The Patriots’ run defense has been tremendous this season, and if they want to continue that trend they should add some youngsters on the interior. Christian Barmore has been great and all, but their young interior guys are essentially pass rushers.
We mentioned the possible need to replace Lawrence Guy and/or Davon Godchaux following next season, and Sweat could slide in nicely to take over one of those roles.
Roman Wilson (#1), WR, Michigan
CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl: vs. Alabama (8 p.m. ET on ESPN)
The Patriots are in perpetual need of a wideout, and Wilson is the best one left for us to cover in the College Football Playoff. He’ll probably be utilized from the slot at the next level, which might not be a need in New England moving forward, but we’re working with what we’ve got.
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl: vs. Alabama (8 p.m. ET on ESPN)
You didn’t see this one coming, did you?
We’ve been talking about Bill Belichick’s departure all season, so we had to sneak at least one coach in here. Harbaugh is on the shortlist of possible NFL hires, and New England feels like one of the only places he’d leave Michigan for. It’s a long shot, sure, but just imagine that weirdo running around in khakis at Gillette Stadium.
