No. 3 isn't the only early pick the Patriots are scheduled to make in the 2024 NFL Draft.
New England also owns No. 34 overall, which effectively amounts to a glorified late first-rounder. The third selection of the second round allows the Patriots to address another pressing need with one of the best players in the draft class.
ESPN's Field Yates believes New England will stand pat and use its highest draft pick in over three decades on quarterback Drake Maye. And 31 selections later, the veteran NFL insider projects the Patriots to pair the North Carolina product with a high-upside weapon in South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette.
"New lead decision-maker Eliot Wolf has talked about adding playmakers to the New England offense, and at 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds, Legette would bring physicality and explosion," Yates wrote. "He had 1,255 yards last season and is an outstanding run-after-catch player."
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ESPN ranks Legette as the sixth-best receiver in a loaded wideout class, which also includes potential top-10 picks Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, meanwhile, has lauded the Gamecocks product for his "magnificent timing," "powerful hands," and "sneaky burst."
The Patriots badly need wide receiver help, especially after missing out on Calvin Ridley in free agency. Legette might not be a Day 1 stud in Foxboro, Mass., but he has the skill set to become a legitimate playmaker.
Featured image via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
