Patriots News 4-28, Draft Notes On Every Draft Pick
The 2024 Patriots Draft is now complete after a busy weekend for Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo..
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Good morning. Here are your Patriots news and notes for April 28. The draft is now complete, and the signing of UDFAs is underway.
Here is your yearly reminder that the currently constructed roster is still fluid. The players here now will probably differ in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season and definitely be different at the close of the season.
Before we dive into our analysis, one observation that stands out is that at the top of the draft, so many fans (and media) were adamant about wanting the team to trade back and gather more picks rather than stand pat and take a quarterback.
I get the reasoning, and with many holes to fill, there might have been a way to still get the QB that they desired. But in doing so, would have been using the Belichick playbook that so many lambasted for years.
Having a franchise quarterback (the most important position in the NFL) is imperative to winning. The Patriots felt strong enough about Drake Maye that they were convinced that staying put was the correct answer, despite big offers from the Vikings and Giants.
Is Maye going to be “the guy” for the Patriots? We certainly don’t know, and neither does anyone else. He could flame out and bust or lead the Patriots back to the top of the heap in a few years. That’s the intriguing part of watching the NFL. He’ll have to put in the work, and the team will have to support him by giving him the proper players and coaching to put it all together.
His physical ability is outstanding. He can get flushed out of the pocket and flick the ball downfield 30+ yards. He has a cannon. He’s athletic and can extend plays or take off running. The Patriots raved about his leadership ability.
Here’s to watching these next generation of Patriots players in the post-Belichick era try to make their own path.
Watching Bill Belichick on the Pat McAfee Draft show was, in a word, fantastic. Belichick was in his element, breaking down players’ strengths and weaknesses on tape.
Belichick was clearly enjoying the moment, and his absolute candor in breaking down players was an absolute must-watch television. Former Patriots Devin McCourty and Tedy Bruschi were on Twitter, and more than the few glimpses we’ve been allowed to see on clips released for publication.
McCourty posted, “If you played for Bill and want to be back in team meetings but do not worry about your bad plays showing up on the film, then turn on the @PatMcAfeeShow. This is GOLD.”
“Love seeing Bill covering the draft! All of his pauses are where he would usually drop F-Bombs,” Bruschi added.
There was never a doubt that Belichick would be a fantastic “Xs and Os” guy on TV, but he seemed to be having a blast out there, especially considering the eclectic group that McAfee assembled there. Watching Bill text Sean Payton and get him on the show was pure gold.
He’ll join the Manning Cast on their ESPN show and be a regular guest on McAfee’s show during the season. Enjoy it, folks. More below…
Bill Belichick: on the Pat McAfee Draft show, Belichick relayed his side of the Randy Moss trade. We’ve heard this story before but Belichick’s delivery was spot on.
He isn’t a trained television personality, but his knowledge of the game is second to none, and he can be funny on camera.
Bill Belichick Pt2: It was surprising when the Atlanta Falcons passed on hiring Bill Belichick; now it makes more sense.
We know that the Falcons’ brain trust didn’t have Belichick among their top three candidates for head coach. That was mainly due to protecting their own turf rather than for football knowledge.
And after watching Round 1 on Thursday night, we can see why. After rewarding Kirk Cousins with a four-year, $180 million contract in free agency, they sign his replacement (Michael Penix) with the 8th pick in the draft. Why?
Instead of surrounding Cousins with more talent, they drafted someone they freely admitted may sit for 3-4 years. After the pick they showed Atlanta’s war room, and owner Arthur Blank didn’t seem too happy. He was probably asking why he had just guaranteed $100 million to Cousins and why his front office had drafted his replacement.
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: This past week, we discussed the latest news from Foxboro in our PatsFans.com podcast.
Derek Havens and I conducted our annual Mock Draft on Tuesday. We did a short podcast on Friday to discuss the Drake Maye pick and possible moves for Day 2. Today, we’ll go over all of the Patriots’ selections.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t in is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed the game with how teams used the tight end position. This will be discussed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
The Patriots addressed their needs in the draft, and now it is up to the players selected and the coaches to fill those needs. Whether you loved or hated the picks, we won’t know how these guys will fare until they hit the field.
However, here is my take on each of the players drafted.
Maye checks all of the blocks of someone you want in a QB. He’s big (6’4, 225), strong, has a rocket arm, is athletic, can run from the pocket, is smart, and possesses excellent leadership abilities. He was a two-year starter and a team captain for North Carolina.
He can climb the pocket when it starts to collapse around him and can either scramble for yardage or search for targets downfield. This is the pick they had to make, and his upside is potentially the best among the quarterbacks taken. His footwork is a problem area that needs to be worked on. With Jacoby Brissett in the building, there is no need to rush him into playing until he’s ready.
He was the right pick for the Patriots. And he was the only pick.
The Patriots traded back from picks #34 and #137 with the Chargers, moving back three spots to #37 and picking up pick #110 in the process. With the 37th pick, they took Polk from Washington. Polk was a favorite target of Michael Penix, catching 69 passes for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023.
When asked what the Patriots are getting with him, his confidence showed through.
“Man, they’re getting a beast, man. A dude who loves football, loves his teammates, and is ready to build and be able to come and bring a great player and a very electric person and go on to win games.”
Polk is versatile, can play inside or outside, has a large catch radius, and is known for his toughness and production. He has no one defining trait but is good in all areas of the game. At 6’1, 203, he is of good size. While his 40-time (4.52) isn’t going to blow away anyone, he has tricky YAC potential and has great hands.
While not a sexy pick, he is a very reliable, good football player.
This was an intriguing pick because Wallace played only right tackle in college. Wallace is 6’4, 314, and 34” arm length, but Eliot Wolf said in his Day 2 post-draft news conference that the Patriots believe that he has the functional athleticism to move and play on the left side.
“He was a guy that we felt was athletic enough to possibly make the switch over on the left side. Really good pass protector, really took a huge step forward this year as a four-year starter,” Wolf said. “Athletic, can bend, strong, powerful, tough. He could possibly play guard. We think he could be a four-position guy, but definitely feel like he can play on the left side.”
Wallace echoed those comments, telling the media that he is “super confident” that he can play left tackle in the NFL.
“I play every position on the line,” said Wallace. I’m just excited to get there, learn from the great coaches, and get after it.”
Wallace played left tackle at this year’s Shrine Bowl, so we’ll have to wait and see. He comes to the Patriots with 44 games of experience (40 starts) at the collegiate level.
The Patriots have back-to-back offensive linemen with their first Day 3 draft pick, Robinson. Robinson started 33 games as a right guard for Texas A&M. He was a two-time captain again, with the team showing they value leadership as well as on-field play.
Robinson is a broad, thick player at 6’3, 302, and has nearly 35” arms. He’s a road grader in the running game but still has some pass-protection issues to work on.
The team obviously felt that with Cole Strange’s knee injury late in the year, there will be competition for his spot until he’s ready to return. Robinson will compete with Sidy Sow and Antonio Mafi.
The Patriots selected another WR, a somewhat underrated one in Baker. Baker transferred from Alabama, which was chock full of talented WRs, to UCF, where he got more opportunities to play.
In two seasons at UCF, Baker caught 108 passes for 1,935 yards and 12 touchdowns and was named a first-team All-Big 12 selection as a senior in 2023. I loved his comment to the media, “I make people in wheelchairs stand up.” The kid has tons of confidence…good for him.
He is an “X-WR” who is an above-average perimeter route runner who will go up and snatch the ball away from defenders. His play speed is better than what he tested at the Combine. He has big-play ability and good long speed (he averaged 21.9 yards per reception in 2023) and is a good pick for the team in what they are trying to put together.
Dial is the only (that’s right) the only defensive player taken in the draft by the Patriots. And how he lasted until #180 is a puzzlement. He has good size for the position at 6’0, 190. He ran a 4.46 in the 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine.
In the past two seasons, Dial has 25 passes defensed and three interceptions. He is good in run support and will compete with some of the other corners the Patriots have for playing time.
Length, speed, and production for a player in the SEC to land in the 6th round is a nice get for Wolf and the Patriots.
This was an intriguing pick in the 6th round. After already drafting Drake Maye with the #3 pick and having Jacoby Brissett, Bailey Zappe, and Nathan Rourke already on the roster, adding Milton puts the QB room at five…That’s a lot.
There have been rumblings that Milton may move to tight end, being 6’5, 246, but Jerod Mayo shot those down, stating the Patriots drafted him as a QB. And Milton has the arm strength to make any throw, he too can make plays with his feet.
Coming from an Air Raid offense, he’ll have a steep learning curve. While his accuracy is an issue, he’s well worth the 193rd pick as a developmental quarterback.
Another intriguing pick by Eliot Wolf, Bell, is the Patriots’ final draft pick in 2024. He’s on the smaller side for a tight end at 6’2, 241, but he was used as both a move tight end and a running back by Florida State.
He is a YAC monster and athletically tested in the 88th percentile among tight ends in the past 20 years. He ran a 4.61 in the 40 in Indy, and in 2023, he trailed only Brock Bowers and was tied with Ja’Tavion Sanders for the most YAC per reception among tight ends.
Bell could find himself as an H-Back, gadget tight end who gives Maye/Brissett an explosive pass catcher.
Overall, the Patriots had several holes to fill. They addressed those during this draft. Whether or not they are truly filled is a question for about two years from now.
There are a lot of new moving parts to go along with a completely new regime at the helm. There is a heckuva lot of work to be done. But the roster is beginning to take shape.
The first UDFAs have been reported… stay tuned.
DeShaun Fenwick, RB – Oregon State (via Mike Reiss)
Jacob Warren, TE – Tennessee (via Mike Reiss)
Kaleb Ford-Dement, CB – Texas State (via Mark Daniels)
Mike Victor, CB – Alabama (via Mike Reiss)
Charles Turner, OL – LSU (via Mike Reiss)
Dell Pettus, S – LSU (via Mike Reiss)
Zuri Henry, OT – UTEP (via Aaron Wilson)
Jontrey Hunter, LB – Georgia State (via Mike Reiss)
John Morgan, EDGE – Arkansas (via Doug Kyed)
Jett Bush, LB – Texas (via Mark Daniels)
It is sad to hear about the passing of former Patriot offensive lineman Korey Cunningham, who was only 28. RIP
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“I’ll start with (Ja’Lynn) Polk. He’s one of those guys that before we even get to the main responsibility of a receiver as far as get open, catch the ball and run with it, he’s one of those guys that isn’t afraid to do the dirty work.
“When we talk about the dirty work, obviously we have a good set of backs. But sometimes you need those receivers to come in there and kind of dig out support, and he does that at a very high level.
“Now, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of Polk. He’s one of those guys, smooth route runner, has good hands, can do a lot of different things and he’s smart. That’s one thing that we covered around here. He’s flexible, can play in different spots, and I’m excited to really see him out there.
“Then really, when you talk about Javon (Baker), look, you talk about run after catch, the run after catch, this guy is aggressive, and I would say Bake is all about — he’s all ball. He’s all ball, which I can appreciate. You can see the passion come through when you watch them on film. Two guys that obviously have different skill sets but at the same time will help our team going forward.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo, when asked after the draft about the two new wide receivers (Ja’lynn Polk, Javon Baker) that the Patriots have brought in.
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“Talent sets the floor; Character sets the ceiling.” Bill Belichick
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on Apple and YouTube as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens, and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.
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