The New England Patriots currently hold the No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. With the next franchise quarterback high on the wish list, NFL Mocks looks at who should be available in each of the first three rounds of the draft who could fill that void.
Unless Bailey Zappe looks like he looked in the first half of the Week 14 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers for the remainder of the season, the quarterback position and debate on who the team should select will be the talk throughout Patriots Nation this offseason whether Bill Belichick is back as the coach or not.
New England Patriots will have their choice of top quarterback talent in 2024 NFL Draft
With other glaring needs, whether the Patriots go Caleb Williams or Drake Maye at No. 2 will depend on how they view some of the other QB prospects entering the 2024 NFL Draft.
In sticking with the top three rounds where the Patriots currently hold the No. 2, No. 35 and No. 66 picks, here is a quarterback the team much select in each of the first three rounds.
Let’s end that Drake Maye vs Caleb Williams debate right there. Even if the Patriots end up with No. 1 overall, they should go with Maye who would be the better option for the Patriots offensive playbook.
Williams is the generational talent, but Maye is the prototype quarterback who would be a nice building block to start the offensive rebuild in New England. Big and athletic, Maye is an instinctive playmaker who has shown the ability to really drive the ball in tight spots. Along with his above average speed for a quarterback, the North Carolina product would give the Patriots the perfect combination of a pocket passer and a quarterback with the mobility to manipulate the pocket or take off with his legs.
Although Williams has that same capability, it is the mental makeup of both players that could lead the Patriots to select Maye over Williams if they end up with the top pick or whoever has the top pick goes with another generational talent like Marvin Harrison Jr.
While either player would have to deal with the pressure of the Boston media and being that next guy following the two decades of Tom Brady will require a toughness to handle the criticism when things aren’t going right as well as monetize the high praise when things are going great on the field. The regression of Mac Jones is exactly what can happen to a young quarterback when criticism is high. Some of Williams’ public meltdowns put into question whether he can handle things not going well.
There is a possibility the New England Patriots will be a team that goes with a talent like Marvin Harrison Jr. in the first round or one of the highly graded top tackles entering the draft.
If they go that route, it will be because they feel one of the next tier of quarterback talents is capable of being that next guy, which means they could eye a quarterback like Michael Penix Jr.
A 2023 Heisman Trophy runner up, the Washington Huskies star quarterback is coming off a season in which he led the Huskies to a perfect 13-0 season. Penix Jr. torched opposing defenses with 4,218 passing yards and 33 touchdowns, which has ranked him as potentially the third ranked quarterback entering the draft behind Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.
Would he slip to the second round? If he does, it will be early in the second round which would put the Patriots in prime position to land the left-handed quarterback. Like Maye, Penix Jr. is a pocket passer with the agility and mobility to escape the pocket when needed.
Obviously, Penix Jr. has shown he has the arm strength and tough to drop dimes in tight coverage but will need to work on his accuracy at the next level. It is that weakness and the fact that he is left-handed that could make him available at the top of the second round. But with his strong mental makeup and ability to bounce back from mistakes, he is a quarterback talent the Patriots must and will look closely at especially if they fulfill their No. 1 receiver need with the selection of Harrison Jr. in the first round.
A first-round sleeper who could be available at No. 66 is Washington State’s Cameron Ward.
After transferring from Florida State, Ward was another PAC-10 quarterback who had an outstanding season in 2023.
At 6-foot-2, 223 pounds, Ward led the Cougars with 3,735 yards passing with 25 touchdowns against 7 interceptions. With an NFL arm and high IQ at the line of scrimmage, Ward is a draft prospect who could eventually find himself as an NFL starter, but it may take a few years of development learning behind a veteran quarterback.
Unlike Maye and Penix Jr., Ward may not have the readiness to step in as a starter right away so this selection will be based either on the Patriots deciding to take a shot at drafting two quarterbacks in the draft, one to compete with whoever they take at the top of the draft, or if they decide to go with a veteran quarterback via free agency or trade to lead the offense on a short-term basis.
His issues with decision-making at times along with his size could make him more of a project for the Patriots at the position, but there is room for growth for Ward that could make him more of a down-the-road option or a backup with starter potential.