NFL Draft Guru Highlights Strengths, Weaknesses Of 2024 Draft Class

The New England Patriots have an abundance of needs on their roster to fill this offseason.

The Patriots can go through the upcoming NFL draft to address some of the areas they’re lacking in, but the draft won’t be one-stop shopping for New England.

That’s because like every draft, there are better prospects at some positions than others. Good news for the Patriots is NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah detailed the strengths and weaknesses of the 2024 draft class and the positions of highest need for New England fall into the former category.

“Excited about the combine coming up. It’s going to be a fun draft,” Jeremiah told reporters Thursday, per league-provided transcript. “You’ve got quarterbacks. You’ve got receivers. You’ve got tackles, offensive tackles. That, to me, is kind of the highlight that we’re working with here. A lot of depth at those positions.”

The Patriots easily could select their quarterback of the future with the No. 3 overall pick. And using their high second-round selection on a receiver or offensive tackle — two positions where the Patriots need help — seems like a logical move, too.

Drafting at certain defensive positions could prove challenging for the Patriots and the rest of the NFL, though

“It’s not a great off-the-ball linebacker draft,” Jeremiah said.

The Patriots have two solid interior linebackers in Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai but don’t have much depth behind those two.

Solidifying that positional group through the draft won’t be easy. But what may be an even harder task is finding a young, promising safety to groom.

New England could have a glaring hole at that spot, especially if Kyle Dugger goes elsewhere in free agency. Jabrill Peppers had a standout season and is under contract for another year, but Jalen Mills, who only played 40% of the team’s defensive snaps this past season, has his contract void at the start of the league year.

If Dugger and Mills both depart, the Patriots might be in a bind when it comes to the safety position.

“I don’t think it’s a great safety class,” Jeremiah said. “I don’t even think we have one — maybe (Tyler) Nubin goes in the top 50 from Minnesota in the second round. But man, we might not have a safety in the top 50 picks. It’s possible.”