New England Patriots Mock Draft: Weapons on the Way for Mac Jones
The New England Patriots face a tall task in the AFC East and we try to plan the best path to success through this seven-round mock draft.
The New England Patriots have done what was previously thought to be impossible for an organization of their caliber and have missed the playoffs twice in three years. Their lone playoff trip since the end of the Tom Brady era ended in absolute embarrassment in a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills and they will need to improve their roster in a major way if they want to compete with the talent in the AFC East.
The Bills may struggle in the playoffs but are one of the best teams in the regular season and are becoming the class of the division. The New York Jets have one of the best defenses in the league and are reportedly on the verge of trading for Aaron Rodgers and the Miami Dolphins are a major threat considering the talent they have on offense.
If the Patriots want to keep up with the rest of the division, they will need to reload as they always have through the draft. They have a number of picks in the later rounds that they can use to trade up and Patriots fans will be hoping that they don’t trade down in the first round like they always have.
New England Patriots Mock Draft: Weapons on the Way for Mac Jones
In this mock draft, we don’t have the Patriots trading up or down, which is unlikely in real life, but rather we have them focusing on getting the best player available while also addressing some major needs. This is a pivotal year for the Patriots as Mac Jones is entering his third season and the Patriots will soon have a big decision to make on his future.
Let’s dive into this full seven-round mock draft for your New England Patriots.
14. Jordan Addison, WR, USC
The Patriots Don’t have great luck drafting skill position players in the first round but they will hope to Buck that Trend with wide receiver Jordan Addison out of USC. Addison is considered by most scouts as the third ranked receiver in this class after Quentin Johnston and Jaxon Smith-Njigba and he looks to be a special talent.
Addison has the speed that you look for in a top end wide receiver having run a 4.49 40 at the combine and he has just enough size to line up in the slot or as an outside receiver. He had an incredibly dominant season in 2021 with Pittsburgh where he put up 100 catches for nearly 1600 yards and 17 touchdowns and established himself as an elite college player.
The former Trojan put up about half of that in each category in 2022 but we can attribute that to learning a new offense and playing with a new quarterback. He is still one of the top receivers in the country and should be an immediate upgrade to anyone the Patriots have had at receiver over the last few years.
47. Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
With the way his workout went at the NFL combine, Georgia tight end Darnell Washington is more likely to be a first round pick than a second but since he is available in this mock draft we grab him with the 47th overall selection. Washington is a freak athlete at tight end and his physical measurables and statistics are off the charts.
The former Georgia Bulldog measured in at 6-foot-6 and 264 pounds and ran a 4.64 which is incredible for a man his size. Tight end is not a major position of need but the Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith experiment has failed miserably and the Pats could release the former for just a $5 million cap hit.
Giving Mac Jones a big target like Washington could do wonders for his confidence and in an ideal world they form a duo that is as devastating as the Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski combo was for a decade.