The New England Patriots are getting closer to the 2024 NFL draft, when they’ll have to finally make a decision on the No. 3 overall pick. They have holes at every position on offense, and they’ll need all of the talent they can get.

Luckily for them, this draft is loaded with the best group of offensive talent the NFL has seen in over 10 years. In a draft headlined by Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Marvin Harrison Jr., the Patriots are in a prime spot to come away with a game-changer.

However, they will have some tough choices to make depending on how the draft shakes out with the first two picks. Let’s dive into our latest mock draft, which explores a unique scenario for the Patriots in 2024.

TRADE!

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Patriots receive: QB Justin Fields

Bears receive: 2024 3rd, 2024 5th, 2025 2nd, and 2025 5th

The Patriots desperately need an upgrade at quarterback, and they believe they find it here with Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Fields has a lot of raw ability, and he has shown flashes of being a franchise level quarterback.

His main issue has been inconsistency.

There is an argument to be made that the Bears have held Fields back, and he would be a much better player if he had a better situation and offense around him that was truly tailored to his game.

Alex Van Pelt would salivate at trying to rejuvenate Fields, which is something many coaches often fail to do with once promising quarterbacks. Geno Smith and Ryan Tannehill are two recent examples of quarterbacks who turned their careers around, and their ability to do so has done wonders for the careers of the offensive coaches that helped them do it.

Van Pelt would have some serious head coaching opportunities if he can get Fields performing at a consistent level. It is worth noting Van Pelt brought in Ben McAdoo and T.C. McCartney to coach quarterbacks, which has many assuming the Patriots are going to take a rookie in the draft.

But in this scenario, the Patriots saw both Caleb Williams and Drake Maye go first and second overall. Ultimately, they viewed Fields in the same light as Jayden Daniels, opting to trade for the former first round draft pick and using the No. 3 overall pick instead on…

Round 1, Pick No. 3: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

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Harrison Jr. is an elite, blue chip prospect that, quite frankly, deserves to be the first player taken in the entire draft. Unfortunately for Harrison Jr., the quarterback position is much more valuable to teams.

Harrison Jr. will immediately give the Patriots a true No. 1 receiver, which is someone everyone in the building knows the team is throwing the ball to, and he still catches it anyways.

His presence alone will allow Van Pelt to scheme up the offense around him and dictate coverage, allowing Justin Fields, who is still developing his processing abilities, to have more natural progressions.

Round 2, Pick No. 34: Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU

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Suamataia is a phyically gifted tackle that will need some work on his technique before he starts.

In this scenario, the Patriots would likely retain Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu with hopes Suamataia is ready after a year or two. If he surprises everyone and is ready immediately, they can kick Onwenu back into guard and Suamataia to either tackle spot.

The Patriots add a quarterback, wide receiver, and now, they finally find a tackle of the future, who should be able to dominate once his technique is up to speed under new offensive line coach Scott Peters.

Round 4, Pick No. 104: Bucky Irving, RB, Oregon

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Bucky Irving is my No. 1 “my guy” in this class.

He is the best receiving back in the draft and one of the few that could make it in the NFL as a pure receiver. Irving has some electricity to his game, and he would be a good change-of-pace back to complement Rhamondre Stevenson.

If Irving is on the board at pick No. 104, the Patriots would be able to find an immediate upgrade at the third-down back role, while also finding a developmental workhorse back.

Round 6, Pick No. 182: Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE, Minnesota

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The Patriots will likely take a tight end in this draft as they desperately need help at the position. They currently don’t even have a tight end on their roster, outside of La’Michael Pettway.

Pending free agent Hunter Henry will probably be back, and the Patriots could also target a player like Irv Smith Jr. in free agency. But regardless of the veteran help they find for the roster, the Patriots still need to draft at the tight end position.

Spann-Ford was the best tight end left on the board at this time.

Round 7, Pick No. 229: C.J. Hanson, G, Holy Cross

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The Patriots need some interior line depth they can trust. Right now, Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi look good, but Cole Strange has had his fair share of injuries in his young career. It wouldn’t hurt taking a chance on a guard with some potential to kick out to tackle in the NFL after some tweaks to his game and further development.

This isn’t the sexy pick, but it certainly is a sneaky need, especially if Mafi and Sow regress after promising rookie years. The Patriots may have missed on the better prospects, but at this stage, there’s no risk at throwing darts on offense, especially when you have been as bad as the Patriots offense has been in recent years.