7-round mock draft 5.0: Putting the pieces together

7-round mock draft 5.0: Putting the pieces together

With a week and a half left before the 2024 NFL Draft, here is my final mock draft. I went with no trades in this one and had a focus on players the New England Patriots have been connected to in the draft process.

Matt St. Jean’s seven-round mock draft Version 1.0 | Version 2.0 | Version 3.0 | Version 4.0

Round 1

1-3: QB Drake Maye (North Carolina): Caleb Williams to Chicago has been a surefire lock for months now. ESPN insider Adam Schefter has strongly indicated that Jayden Daniels is the guy for Washington. That leaves the consensus No. 2 QB for New England.

I still have some reservations about Drake Maye. He’s generally accurate, but his bad throws are way off the mark. He’s good at reading defenses and avoiding sacks, but he could improve at both. But, when looking at the full picture, it is hard to argue why the Patriots shouldn’t be sprinting to the podium if Maye falls to them.

With franchise QB size (6’4”, 223 pounds), arm strength, speed, creativity as a passer and a runner, and his history of production at a young age, Maye is more than worth taking a swing on. He had over 8,000 passing yards as a two-year starter in an offense that was often discombobulated with little NFL talent. You’re counting on growth at the next level, but Maye is plenty young enough to feel comfortable about taking a chance on that growth.

Round 2

2-34: WR Keon Coleman (Florida State): When looking at the second tier of the wide receiver group, I think Coleman may be the best fit for New England. The Patriots need a receiver who can win on the outside, and Eliot Wolf’s father is known for disliking skinny receivers. At 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, and with the ability to jump out of the building, Coleman checks those boxes.

Coleman was a two-sport athlete in college, playing both basketball and football at Michigan State before committing to the football route. He transferred to Florida State and had 658 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in his first year with the Seminoles before declaring for the draft. Trying to play two sports definitely helps explain his underdeveloped route running skills, but Coleman is an explosive athlete with a surprisingly fluid lower body for a player of his size. He didn’t test well running the 40-yard dash, but his GPS tracked speed in drills was high and appears to match his play speed. Coleman is no burner, but don’t be fooled by his 4.61-forty time. He has NFL speed.

If New England’s new offensive staff can help harness Coleman’s talent, he can be a high-end receiver in the NFL.

Round 3

3-68: OT Blake Fisher (Notre Dame): With quarterback and wide receiver taken care of the Patriots address offensive tackle in the third round. Blake Fisher played right tackle for Notre Dame for the past two seasons, but he was originally recruited as a left tackle and became the school’s first freshman to start a season opener at offensive line in 15 years. It was only the emergence of Joe Alt after a season-ending injury in that opener that pushed Fisher to the right side.

Fisher is a good athlete with arm length and foot speed you want from a tackle at the NFL level. He’s also still young, set to play his entire rookie season at 21 years old. New England’s new offensive line coach Scott Peters got some hands-on works with Fisher at Notre Dame’s pro day, and he also took a visit to New England.

Fisher could compete to be a swing tackle as a rookie with upside to be a starter at tackle on either side.

Round 4

4-103: CB Cam Hart (Notre Dame): New England could use some size at cornerback opposite Christian Gonzalez, and Cam Hart could fit the bill. The 6-foot-3 corner out of Notre Dame excelled at the Senior Bowl, where he met with the Patriots. He had a GPS-speed of 23.01 miles per hour according to Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List.” That’s a combination of size and speed you don’t often see at the corner position.

Hart’s 33-inch arms showed up on film both in press coverage and as a tackler, where he led the team in forced tackles.

Round 5

5-137: TE Jared Wiley (TCU): TCU tight end Jared Wiley set career highs in receiving yards and touchdowns in 2023 with 520 yards and 8 scores. Wiley also had a great performance at the combine, running a 4.62 40-dash with a 37-inch vertical at over 6-foot-6.

The Patriots brought him in for one of their top-30 visits, and adding a big, athletic tight end who can box out defenders and potentially stretch the field to their offense could provide a huge boost.

Round 6

6-180: DT Khristian Boyd (Northern Iowa): Khristian Boyd may receive the distinction of first player drafted who wasn’t invited to the combine. His arms may be a bit short, but he was a strong run defender for Northern Iowa with his 6-foot-2, 325-pound frame. He was first team all-conference last season and earned third-team All-American honors as well with 43 tackles and 3.5 sacks as a nose tackle.

The Patriots met with Boyd at his pro day, where he set a school record with 38 reps on the bench press.

6-193: LB Nathaniel Watson (Mississippi State): Nathaniel Watson is a twitchy but slightly undersized linebacker who received All-SEC honors the last two seasons at Mississippi State. Watson has sideline-to-sideline speed and led the SEC with 10 sacks and 137 tackles last season.

The Patriots had him in for the top-30 visit, and he could immediately make an impact in New England on special teams with upside as a rotational linebacker.

Round 7

7-231: WR Bub Means (Pittsburgh): After spending time at Tennessee and Louisiana Tech, Bub Means found a home at Pitt with new Assistant Wide Receivers Coach Tiquan Underwood for the past two seasons. He had a career high of 721 receiving yards last year and was an honorable mention all-conference selection. Means has the size and speed you want as an outside receiver, but his route running is still a work in progress.

Underwood was at Pitt’s pro day to work with Means.

New England addresses the top three key needs to open this draft, hitting quarterback, wide receiver, and offensive tackle in the first three rounds. The rest of the draft is spent filling out the roster on both sides of the ball on players the Patriots have some tie to in the pre-draft process.

How would you feel about this draft? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.