Patriots Draft Notebook: Day 3 Showcased Crystal Clear Focus

The Patriots did something unique with their selection of South Carolina defensive back Marcellas Dial in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

They added a defensive player.

New England, both before and after that selection, completely ignored the defensive side of the ball Thursday, Friday and Saturday, giving a crystal clear indication to their focus heading into draft weekend. Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo needed to revamp their offense.

Mayo made no bones about it, either, all but saying as much during the afternoon.

“We had a lot of needs on the offensive side of the ball,” Mayo admitted in an interview on NFL Network. “… We know that to win games in this league, you have to have a productive offense.”

It started with doubling down, as the Patriots tapped back in at wide receiver, offensive line and quarterback with the selections of Texas A&M guard Layden Robinson, UCF wideout Javon Baker and Tennessee gunslinger Joe Milton III.

“I had to take off my defensive hat and put on my head coaching hat,” Mayo joked following the draft. “We had more holes on the offensive side of the ball. You guys knew that. Defensively we feel pretty good about the players that we have, and we feel good about some of those players taking a leap here in their second and third year. We’re pretty comfortable with that. At the same time we’ll continue to add pieces as we go.”

It was all about weaponizing the offense Saturday, and throughout the weekend for that matter, and that was easy to see.