Patriots Mock Draft 4.0: New England Kicks QB Can Down Road

What are the Patriots going to do with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft? That’s exactly what we’ll try to answer in this five-part mock draft series. New England has options, so stick with us as we explore some possible outcomes ahead of April.

Mock Draft 1.0 | Mock Draft 2.0 | Mock Draft 3.0

The Minnesota Vikings really have thrown a wrench in what we’re trying to do here, but we’re going to roll with the punches.

It’s been made clear (we hope) that this exercise is a way for us to demonstrate all the Patriots’ possible draft outcomes. In the several weeks since beginning this series, we’ve had all of our previous mocks eventually become moot thanks to the ever-changing nature of the NFL. Sick!

Minnesota, though, traded for another first-round pick and in turn presented us with a new path to explore. If they’re really in love with Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy, why not try to bleed them for all they’re worth?

That’s what we tried to do here, kicking that quarterback can down the road for another season. Sorry.

The Patriots trade the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to the Minnesota Vikings, net No. 11, No. 23 and a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

It isn’t what fans will want to hear, but the best team-building strategy for the Patriots would be acquiring as many picks as possible. New England is bad, and it isn’t getting any better without throwing a ton of darts at the board.

The Vikings can gift the Patriots that opportunity.

Minnesota’s coaching staff has history with Maye, and if there’s a hope in getting him into the system, they’ll need New England to play ball. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has made it clear that he’s willing to do that, making multiple statements that have left a trade squarely on the table.

If the Patriots believe there’s a “guaranteed way to win,” why wouldn’t they follow that formula?

New England, in this scenario, gets an opportunity to fill every single hole on the roster. That’s what it seems to be all about under this regime, and while no prospect is a sure thing, this class would have all the makings of an elite young core. We added 11 players and made a couple trades across all seven rounds using PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator. You can find the results, and our reasoning, below.

If you’re looking for a representation of how baron the Patriots’ roster is, this kind of does the trick. We took someone at nearly every positional designation, save for interior offensive line, safety and special teams.

We’ll start the explanations by lumping the defensive guys together as potential depth pieces. Mike Sainristil is a damn good nickel back, and his addition should help build the depth of New England’s dwindling cornerback room. He’d allow Jonathan Jones to take over opposite Christian Gonzales, while joining Marcus Jones in the slot and serving as a major upgrade over versatile defensive back Myles Bryant. DeWayne Carter is extremely versatile and can play anywhere on the defensive line, while Myles Cole has a little bit of Deatrich Wise Jr. to him. Trevin Wallace? He’s a great athlete, and while he’s got a ways to go at linebacker, he should be able to help on the new kickoff unit.

Olu Fashanu and Adonai Mitchell are the two building blocks, as they’ll address the biggest needs New England has outside of quarterback. Fashanu has the highest ceiling of any tackle in this class, and he’ll be ready to go immediately alongside Cole Strange on the left side. Mitchell is the answer to all the Patriots’ recent problems on the outside. He’s a big play-maker, not in the sense that he’ll score from anywhere on the field, but in the sense of delivering whenever you need him to. He was the go-to guy for both Georgia and Texas when their seasons were on the line each of the last two years, and he delivered both times.

Spencer Rattler is one of those dart throws we mentioned earlier. You’ll hear about how some NFL teams love him, and while he doesn’t have the physical make up of some guys in this class, he knows how to play the position. If its just him and Jacoby Brissett in the QB room this upcoming season, you can bet he’ll get some opportunities to start.

Malachi Corley was built to be a modern slot receiver, and while DeMario Douglas currently holds that spot, Corley’s versatility makes him a worthwhile investment. He’d feast alongside Mitchell (which we definitely think is true considering we drafted each of them in our last mock) and Kendrick Bourne.

Ben Sinnott is the perfect guy to come in and contribute in a lesser role before breaking out ahead of Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper in year two. Isaiah Davis was built in a lab of Patriots running backs. Javon Foster is gigantic and has swing-tackle potential.

PFF gave us an A-, too, so you can go ahead and pencil us into any future general manager conversations.

How do we feel about this mock, Patriots fans? If you think you can do any better, share your picks with @KeaganStiefel on X, and you could be included in a special edition of the series coming. We’ll be judging, though, so be warned.