16 non-QB prospects the Patriots should love in the 2024 NFL Draft
Team needs to score in other rounds
Let’s take a quarterback break, shall we?
Enough debating Jayden Daniels versus Drake Maye. Or whether the Patriots should draft to pick a quarterback third overall or trade down. Or if J.J. McCarthy is really, truly, gaining ground down the stretch, a rare Seabiscuit of draft season.
The success of the Patriots’ upcoming draft may hinge on nailing the most important position in football, but hitting on the rest of their picks will determine how quickly the franchise can build around that quarterback and accelerate this rebuild. In case you missed it, the Pats must fill black holes at wide receiver and offensive tackle, find future starters at tight end and cornerback, and weigh the fact three of their best players are veterans at running back, outside linebacker and safety now entering contract years.
So, here’s an assist to the folks down at 1 Patriot Place.
These are my 16 favorite non-quarterback prospects for the Patriots, players who fit both their shortand long-term needs. Most offensive prospects on this list will come off board on Day 1 or Day 2, when the Pats are expected to load up on that side of the ball. In turn, the listed defensive prospects are widely projected to land somewhere in the fourth- to seventhround range, when the Patriots should turn their attention elsewhere.
Ready, set, scout.
Georgia WR Ladd McConkey
A borderline first/second-round prospect, McConkey is not cut from the same slot cloth as Julian Edelman and Wes Welker. He’s a complete receiver capable of playing inside and outside the numbers.
Armed with 4.39 speed and excellent quickness, McConkey uses both to win all across the route tree. He is also a master routerunner, setting up defenders in man and zone coverage by changing tempo and then ditching them to eat up yards after the catch. Health is the only concern for the six-foot, 186-pounder, who was limited to nine games in his final collegiate season.
After catching a teamhigh seven touchdowns in 2022, McConkey was limited to 478 yards last year and 15.9 yards per reception last year. On special teams, he boasts real returning talent, a major plus in the eyes of ex-Packers evaluators, like Eliot Wolf, when scouting wide receivers.
Florida WR Ricky Pearsall
A legitimate riser during the draft process, Pearsall is another complete Day 2 option for the Patriots at wide receiver.
Pearsall left the Senior Bowl as one of its most impressive prospects, then clocked a 4.4 at the NFL combine and posted the second-fastest three-cone times among all prospects. That rare combination of elite long speed and short-area quickness, especially at 6-foot-1, is why many evaluators view him as a longtime NFL starter. Pearsall’s film backs them up.
He repeatedly beat manto-man coverage as Florida’s No. 1 option, won from the slot and outside and destroyed defenses at all three levels. Pearsall finished with 65 catches for 965 yards last year, and, like McConkey, could contribute as a returner.
Oregon WR Troy Franklin
A second-team All-American, Franklin is by far the most productive receiver on this list. And it doesn’t take an NFL scout to see why.
The 6-foot-2 speedster set opposing secondaries on fire, running through and away from them on intermediate and deep routes within Oregon’s high-octane offense. Franklin is a leaner prospect at 186 pounds, but flashed the potential to make difficult contested catches. He also didn’t miss a game the past two seasons, when he led the Pac-12 in receiving touchdowns both years.
Franklin, an analytics darling among media evaluators, could be the sleeper of this class, despite his obvious skill set. Were it not for some focus drops, he would have pushed himself closer to the first round.
UCF WR Javon Baker
An Alabama transfer, Baker is another explosive target standing taller than six feet. He possesses natural ball skills and aboveaverage play strength. Baker separates by changing speeds in his routes and attacking defenders’ leverage. He then becomes a serious threat after the catch.
Bottom line: Baker is a natural playmaker, as evidenced by his 1,139 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last year. He’s expected to go somewhere in the third or fourth round.
Rice WR Luke McCaffrey
The son of Broncos great Ed McCaffrey, Luke is a late-round prospect who converted from quarterback to receiver midway through his college career. The bet here is McCaffrey’s pedigree and room for positional growth eventually yield an NFL starter. McCaffrey did enough last year (992 yards, 13 touchdowns) to earn a Senior Bowl invite, and he’s athletic enough to stick in the NFL.
At the combine, the 6-foot-1, 198-pounder clocked a 4.46 in the 40yard dash, 6.7-second time in the three-cone and hit 36 inches in the vertical leap.
Ohio State TE Cade Stover
Another converted passcatcher, Stover flipped from linebacker to tight end early in his time at Ohio State. His stats are not gaudy (41 catches, 576 yards and five touchdowns last season), but his traits and toughness
are more than enough to let him grow into a steady NFL tight end. Stover does not drop passes and has natural body control and coordination.
He was a two-time captain with the Buckeyes, who split his snaps almost 50/50 between playing inline and outside the box.
Florida State TE Jaheim Bell
A yard-after-catch machine, Bell is one of the best athletes in this class for his position. He dominates in space, at 6-foot-2 and 241 pounds. He will never be confused for a true, twoway tight end, but athletes like Bell are plenty useful to creative offensive coordinators; especially when they’re projected Day 3 picks.
Think Jonnu Smith — before he got to New England.
Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton
Guyton fits everything the Patriots need, and GMs from the Packers’ scouting tree traditionally covet.
He packs starting potential and prototypical size. He’s an elite athlete for the position. He projects to be able to play both sides, after taking most of his snaps at right tackle from Oklahoma. The question is whether the Patriots, whose second-round pick sits at 34th overall, will be willing to trade into the late first round to select him.
Houston OT Patrick Paul
A more experienced, yet still raw left tackle, Paul boasts similar athletic traits and length as Guyton. He stands at 6-foot-7 and 331 pounds and snuck under the three-cone and short shuttle benchmarks Green Bay evaluators usually follow when picking offensive lineman. The only missing ingredient with Paul, a two-time captain, is versatility.
Paul played left tackle exclusively as a three-year starter and five-year player at Houston. Lucky for him, the Patriots need a player like him badly, and could nab him in the late second round or early third.
Washington OT Roger Rosengarten
Rosengarten was a twoyear starter at Washington, where he flipped from left tackle to the right side to protect the blindside of ex-teammate and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. He would likely need to switch back to earn playing time in New England, but for now checks the necessary boxes (athleticism, versatility and starting experience). Rosengarten is a projected Day 2 pick who reportedly has been rising up NFL boards.
TCU OT Brandon Coleman
An undersized left tackle, Coleman checks in at 6-foot-4 and 313 pounds with exceptionally long arms. He works well in space and played some of his best football against his fiercest competition. Coleman has played every Oline position exception center, and played through injury last year, a reflection of his toughness.
Northern Iowa DT Khristian Boyd
A late-round prospect, Boyd surprised some at the East-West Shrine Game, tossing around offensive lineman on the opening days of practice. The 6-foot-2, 325-pounder followed that up by cranking out an eye-popping 38 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press at his Pro Day. Boyd was a four-year starter at the FCS level, and projects as a rotational run-stuffer in New England, where the Pats have little depth behind pure nose tackle Davon Godchaux.
LSU DT Jordan Jefferson
Like Boyd, Jefferson is expected to hear his name called sometime during the sixth or seventh round. Unlike the Northern Iowa product, Jefferson proved for a full season he could hang with SEC competition.
The West Virginia transfer can play anywhere on the interior and has sneaky quickness when pushing inside gaps at 313 pounds. Jefferson also earned an invite to the Senior Bowl, where he momentarily lost his cool and tossed an O-lineman’s helmet. But his versatility and raw strength (34 reps on bench press) should earn him a look from an NFL team running multiple fronts and perhaps much more.
Oregon CB Khyree Jackson
A towering corner, the 6-foot-3 Jackson drapes himself over opposing wideouts in single coverage. His ball skills are evident to anyone who flips a single game on (10 PBUs, 3 INTs), and his growth was evident following his transfer from Alabama to Oregon. Concerns pertain to Jackson’s two-game suspension with the Crimson Tide in 2022 and the fact he will turn 25 this summer.
But if the Patriots are comfortable with Jackson the person, his tape as a press-man corner more than warrants a late-round flier.
Boston College CB Elijah Jones
Come on down the street, kid.
Despite missing the Eagles’ last four games, Jones still led the ACC with five interceptions and earned a first-team all-conference spot last year. He later ran a 4.4 at the NFL combine and confirmed his status as a worth NFL draft pick. Jones’ experience playing tough man-to-man coverage should appeal to the man-heavy Patriots.
Arkansas CB Dwight McGlothern Jr.
A ballhawk’s ballhawk, McGlothern owns some of the best ball skills in this year’s class and drives immediately on routes. He gets dinged for being an average, but not great, athlete and rough fundamentals. However, he fits exactly what the Patriots should covet — size (6-1, 189), ball skills and instincts — with a smaller cornerback corps.
McGlothern is expected to go in the fifth or sixth round.
Texas Tech S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson
This year’s draft is light on true free safeties — a need for the Patriots — but Taylor-Demerson fits the bill. He plays with superb range and stands as one of the few players at his position with 4.4 speed. Taylor-Demserson also recorded a combined seven interceptions and 20 pass breakups over the past two seasons.
He is a projected midround pick.
Pats & Pints
One week from the NFL Draft, Vitamin Sea Brewing in South Weymouth will hold a “Pats & Pints” pre-draft party featuring WEEI’s Nick “Fitzy” Stevens, ex-Patriots players and current media members from 7-10 p.m.
Fans are invited to enjoy local craft brews over a social hour, silent auction featuring Patriots memorabilia and a draft Q&A with team experts. Tickets are available online at $20 per person. All proceeds go to Boston Children’s Hospital in the memory of the late Hallie Kyed, daughter of the Herald’s Patriots beat reporter, Doug Kyed.
Bledsoe drops in
Former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe visited team headquarters on Thursday with plans to see longtime friend and ex-teammate Alex Van Pelt, the Pats’ new offensive coordinator.
Bledsoe previously spoke to Van Pelt’s quarterbacks when he was the offensive coordinator in Cleveland. Van Pelt had asked his fellow former Buffalo Bill to bring a new voice to the room one offseason. The Patriots just concluded the first week of their voluntary offseason program, where players returned for strength and conditioning work and meetings with their new coaches.
In a February interview with the Herald, Bledsoe said of Van Pelt: “I think the Patriots’ quarterbacks are going to greatly benefit from being around Alex,” Bledsoe says. “No matter how genius a coordinator is, I’ve always felt like it’s hard to be a play-caller if you haven’t at least played quarterback at some level. And Alex had a long career — and I’d say this if he was sitting right here — playing without much talent. It was the processing part that allowed him to play.”
He continued: “I think the Patriots are very, very lucky to have him. He’s got a great football mind.”
Quote of the Week
“I don’t like it. I don’t know how you officiate it.” — Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers on the NFL’s recent ban of hip-drop tackles