Patriots’ 7-round mock draft, free-agent contract projections, and Eliot Wolf intel
The NFL combine is next week.
The NFL draft is two months away.
Too early for a sevenround mock draft? Hardly.
Behold, the Herald’s first projection for how the Patriots’ new front office will draft in late April.
Of note: The official draft order will not be determined until compensatory picks are awarded next month, so the selections below in rounds 4-7 account for projected compensatory picks. The Patriots are not expected to receive any compensatory picks, based on their net free agency activity last offseason.
1st round
QB Jayden Daniels, LSU Ht./Wt.: 6-4, 210
The new face of the franchise.
Daniels is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner who scored 50 total touchdowns last season, passed for almost 4,000 yards, rushed for more than 1,100 and fired just four interceptions. He’s a multi-year starter with the best deep ball in this class. Daniels also receives high marks from scouts for his accuracy at all levels, knack for protecting the ball and rare 4.5 speed at his position.
Bottom line: Daniels is a playmaker, the type the Patriots have sorely needed at this position since Tom Brady left. He can gash defenses on designed runs or scrambles, or extend passing plays before uncorking a critical third-down completion. He is a modern quarterback, the type who checks all the traditional boxes and can create on his own when needed.
If Daniels can protect himself — he has a habit of slamming into tacklers on runs, despite his thin frame — this should be a no-brainer pick.
2nd round
WR Ladd McConkey, Georgia
Ht./Wt.: 6-0, 185 Resist the lazy comparisons to Patriots receivers past. McConkey is his own wideout.
He possesses excellent long speed and quickness. He can separate versus man-to-man and averaged 6.3 yards after the catch last season. McConkey’s skill set should allow him to play both in the slot and outside at the next level.
The 22-year-old rose up draft boards earlier this month, when teammates voted him the best wide receiver on the American Team at the Senior Bowl. The Patriots took notice. Assistant coach Troy Brown served as McConkey’s offensive coordinator on the American Team, and several top executives were on hand to scout prospects.
The Pats take a receiver here because of the lack of offensive tackle prospects in this range. And that’s if McConkey is even available. Some media experts believe he will be a first-round pick.
3rd round
OT Kiran Amegadjie, Yale
Ht./Wt.: 6-5, 318 Surprise!
An Ivy Leaguer cracks the Patriots’ first class under Wolf and fills a longterm need. Amegadjie is a developmental offensive tackle prospect who first played football midway through high school. He’s regarded as a powerful, athletic player with ideal size, long arms and loads of potential.
Senior Bowl executive directorJim Nagy, an ex-Patriots scout, rated Amegadjie as the top small-school offensive tackle prospect in the country last September. Amegadjie’s senior season was cut short by injury, which also prevented him from participating in allstar games. However, he did receive an invite to the combine, when he will be able to demonstrate his football IQ during interviews as he continues to recover in time for Yale’s Pro Day in April.
4th round
TE Cade Stover, Ohio State
Ht./Wt.: 6-4, 251 An All-Big Ten first-team selection, Stover boasts prototypical size and above-average receiving skills for the position. He played in-line and in space at Ohio State, where he developed into a tough, willing blocker. Stover’s skill set is more wellrounded than it is built around a single elite trait, though there may be more potential here than meets the eye.
Until 2022, he played tight end and defense for the Buckeyes. Given time to focus solely on one position, Stover could develop into a reliable starter at the next level. If so, the Patriots should welcome him with open arms, considering they have zero tight ends under contract heading into free agency.
5th round
CB Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas
Ht./Wt.: 6-2, 188 The second-highest graded cornerback at Pro Football Focus last season, McGlothern is a long, physical ballhawk. After transferring from LSU in 2022, he recorded seven interceptions, three forced fumbles and 16 pass deflections the past two years combined
at Arkansas. According to PFF, McGlothern missed just a single tackle in 2023, when he allowed a passer rating of 51.2 when targeted.
The downsides? He’s lean, may not wow scouts with his speed or quickness. But for an SEC player with that type of production, McGlothern makes for a worthy Day 3 pick.
6th round
RB Dillon Johnson, Washington Ht./Wt.: 6-0, 218 Rhamondre Stevenson is headed into a contract year with plenty of unproven depth behind him, so expect the Patriots to address running back sometime during the draft.
In Johnson, they find an all-around back who averaged 5.1 yards per carry last season. He can find holes running behind gap schemes or zone-blocked runs. While not elusive in open space, Johnson caught 24 of 25 targets as a receiver and could find his way onto a roster as a backup running back with some special teams value.
7th round
DL Evan Anderson, Florida Atlantic Ht./Wt.: 6-3, 326 One of the largest defenders in this year’s class, Anderson fills a quiet need for the Patriots after the released 34-year-old defensive tackle Lawrence Guy last week. Anderson was a team captain at FAU, where he also registered 3.5 sacks. He projects to have an early-down, run-stuffing role in the NFL.
Free-agent projections
After consulting with two front-office executives, the Herald formulated contract projections for the Patriots’ top four free agents.
NFL free agency will officially open at noon on Monday, March 11, with the start of the league’s “legal tampering” period.
S Kyle Dugger: 3 years, $40 million
Dugger recently switched representation from powerhouse agency Athletes First to veteran agent Andy Simms. Simms, from 1 of 1 agency, has a history of representing Patriots defensive backs who re-signed with the team: Devin McCourty, Jonathan Jones, Jason McCourty and Duron Harmon. Dugger was in the team facility this week, per sources, who say he was working out and connecting with the team’s new leadership.
Bottom line: the odds of Dugger staying in New England appear to be increasing, though he will command a sizable contract wherever he lands next month. Related: Harmon was the last Patriots top100 draft pick to sign a second contract with the team back in 2017. That ugly history may motivate the Patriots, who will see one of their best players land a hefty, multi-year deal at home or elsewhere next month.
OL Mike Onwenu: 4 years, $62 million
ESPN reported last month the Patriots “basically” know Onwenu will not re-sign. He’s expected to have a strong market, now playing a premium position (right tackle) that doubles as an area of need for several teams. Onwenu can also play both guard spots.
The Pats could keep him via the franchise tag — and they do have cash to burn — but the $20.98 tag for offensive linemen feels steep. Look at a long-term deal for Onwenu that lands in the neighborhood of what the top offensive tackles landed last year in free agency.
WR Kendrick Bourne: 3 years, $23 million
Bourne is in a tricky spot. The 28-year-old receiver tore his ACL just four months ago, but is well ahead of schedule in his recovery, according to a source. Still, given his age and the fact he hasn’t enjoyed a healthy, productive season since 2021, Bourne will have a hard time commanding the deal he wants.
At this stage of his career, Bourne should seek long-term security, which he finds here at the expense of top dollar. Both executives suggested an average annual value around $7 million, but Bourne lands some incentives with this contract that takes the total value closer to $8 million per year.
OLB Josh Uche: 1 year, $9 million
The 25-year-old pass rusher failed to build on a breakout 2022 campaign, tallying three sacks and 15 tackles in as many games last year. Uche has played more than 33% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps in only one of his four career seasons. Yet, he may simply be miscast in New England.
Another team, running a four-down defensive scheme, might fall for Uche’s elite per-snap efficiency as a pass rusher and hand him a bag. Either way, Uche could be headed for a prove-it deal that will allow him to hit the market again next offseason, still in his prime and with the salary cap expected to jump again.
Jeremiah scouts Wolf
Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf is a 20year veteran of NFL front offices, a well-respected executive and talent evaluator.
But when he got started, Wolf was just a west coast college scout in Green Bay. During that time, he crossed paths with the NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, an ex-Ravens, Browns and Eagles scout. During a conference call with reporters this week, Jeremiah offered his own scouting report on Wolf and how the Patriots’ draft approach might change under Wolf’s leadership.
“Scouts, we know kind of who everybody is, and you pay attention. He was always somebody that worked hard,” Jeremiah said. “Obviously when you have the family history that he does, it would have been easy to maybe try and coast or cruise. He never did that. He started at the bottom and worked his way up. He kind of grinded through it.
“In terms of how it can change, I would say the Patriots were maybe one of the more niche drafting teams in the league where they would catch you off-guard a little bit because (they) were so obsessed with fit that they might take a guy two or three rounds before anybody else in the league would take them. And they don’t really care, because they’re just winning trophies every year. They could be a little bit outside the lines, a little outside the norm with some of the stuff. I don’t think Eliot will do that.
“I think you look at the Green Bay history and some of the track record there, you look at offensive linemen that are versatile, you look at wide receivers who have kick return backgrounds that are really, really good after the catch. Those are some of the traits that just jump out to me from the Packers and the way they’ve done things forever.”
Quote of the Week
“It wasn’t like yesterday, ‘Hey man, you want to be my linebacker coach’? This was an extensive search.” — Jerod Mayo on hiring new linebackers coach Dont’a Hightower