Felger gives the Patriots an “F” for their 2024 Draft
The New England Patriots finished up their 2024 Draft by selecting a total of 8 players, 7 of them being on offense in positions of need. On Monday’s Felger and Mazz, Felger said that he gives the Patriots a failing grade for their draft.
Felger didn’t like the Patriots Draft
Felger: You know, once Legette and Coleman went off the board 32 and then 33, and I know those are on different days, but once Coleman went off the board at 33, they traded out of 34, which obviously means that they didn’t like Ladd McConkey and they were they were happy with Ja’Lynn Polk and so they dropped a couple spots and got him. And what did they get out of that by the way? I didn’t bother following up on that?
Mazz: They got another fourth.
Felger: Ok, so they picked up another fourth round pick. So they picked another player and took a guy they want. So they didn’t want McConkey. So like that’s an easy one. Let’s watch McConkey. Let’s watch Polk. But let’s watch Coleman. Let’s watch Legette. AD Mitchell went another 15 picks after Polk. So there’s this huge run of receivers, some of which you weren’t going to be in line for. Like I get it Harrison, Nabers, Odunze you weren’t going to get. But then starting at 23 Brian Thomas to the Jags, Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette, Keon Coleman, Ladd McConkey, Jalen Polk, AD Mitchell. If this were Belichick, they all can play except for your guy. And I shouldn’t blame them for that, but it just that a little bit of that with.
Mazz: Well that’s the part that’s worrisome, is again like you know it feels like some guys slipped through their fingers there.
Jim Murray: And one of the same guys from that regime is still in the room that was responsible for one of these sucky wide receivers before. So it’s not just that Bill is gone and “oh they’re going to get it right at wide receiver”, we still don’t know because one of the people responsible for one of those screw screw ups, Tyquan Thornton, who’s Matt Groh is still there.
Mazz: He blows. Thorton blows.
Jim Murray: He’s probably not going to make the team.
Mazz: Yeah, his days are over anyway. He’s gone now too. And I add tackle under this too. I know it’s not as sexy, but tackles a big one to me. You still don’t have a true left tackle.
Felger: So again, the experts say it was a consensus reach. The The Wallace kid was a consensus reach. The Pats had a obviously big need at that position and by the time it got to their turn in the third round, the run was pretty much over and it was this kid or the train will have left the station. So they grabbed on to the caboose and that’s sort of like, did they have command of the board?
Mazz: No.
Jim Murray: On that one, no. That felt like “all the tackles are gone, we need a tackle!”
Felger: And should they have flipped the order? There were more tackles available at the top of the second than in the third, when it came around to them again. So should they have gone tackle in the second and then receiver at the third?
Mazz: That’s what I would have done.
Felger: And that’s what I think a lot of people looked at it that way.
Penn State’s Caedan Wallace (79) during fourth quarter action of the game with Michigan. The No. 23/23 Nittany Lions fell to No. 9/8/6 Michigan, 21-17, in a Big Ten matchup at Beaver Stadium on Saturday November 13, 2021. Photo by Mark Selders
Felger: So these experts on your picks have been more right than wrong coming out of the thing the next day. Normally I’d laugh at these draft grades and, you know when I see the “A’s” I laugh at them. As long as you’re going to turn around and give the Patriots and “A” Jimmy, what are we going to give them? What should we give them?
Jim Murray: F.
Felger: F. F. F. And we’ve been right recently. F.
Mazz: It wasn’t an “A” draft.
Ridiculous. Let’s suck, have the third pick, and take the third quarterback. How do you get an “A” for that? Any dummy off the street could do that. And then you took the sixth of six receivers in that run. And then you got to the third round and there was only one marginal guy at tackle left, and you took him. An “F” give them another “F”. Third or fourth straight year “F”.
Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!
Meet the New England Patriots 2024 draft class
The New England Patriots 2024 draft class is complete. Read more about each pick below.
In total, the Pats made eight selections in the 2024 draft, and seven of them addressed the offense. It was the right thing to do, for a unit that had rotted from within at all the key spots on the roster.
That doesn’t mean all these draft picks are guaranteed to hit, but it was imperative for Patriots de facto GM Eliot Wolf to take shots at critical positions like quarterback, wide receiver, and tackle. He did exactly that with the Pats’ first three picks in a row.
Did Wolf land the Patriots’ franchise quarterback of the future? That will be the No. 1 question coming out of this draft. Meet him and the rest of the Patriots’ 2024 draft picks…
Round 1, No. 3: QB Drake Maye, UNC
Drake Maye (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The key to the whole thing. If Maye pans out and becomes the Patriots’ first true franchise quarterback since Tom Brady, their concerns at wide receiver and along the offensive line suddenly won’t matter so much.
Maye has prototypical quarterback size at 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds, and has the arm talent to elevate the weapons around him. But despite his off-the-charts raw ability, Maye needs to improve his footwork and has a steep learning curve ahead of him going from North Carolina to an NFL offense.
So, the best thing for both Maye and the organization is to sit him to begin his rookie year, and allow him to work out the kinks in his game and learn the playbook. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo and director of scouting Eliot Wolf are confident that Maye has the work ethic and “football intelligence” to do so.
If all goes well in Maye’s development, the Pats will have their franchise quarterback of the future. And he would be the type of guy you need in the modern NFL: an elite athlete with the intangibles to match.
Round 2, No. 37: WR Ja’Lynn Polk, Washington
Ja’Lynn Polk (John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)
The Patriots wasted little time making their long-awaited high draft pick at wide receiver. They traded down from 34 to 37, turning their fifth-round pick into a fourth-rounder in the process, and went for Polk, a guy Eliot Wolf said the team “had [their] eye on for a while.”
Polk has good size at 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds, and has been universally praised for his hands and his toughness at the catch point. He has big-play potential with his body control and ball-tracking, and has shown the ability to play both inside and outside.
His route-running is solid but could use some improvement. Polk tends to make rounded cuts out of his breaks, and could stand to become more sudden with his change of direction. If he can do that, he could become a productive receiver at the NFL level.
Polk’s ceiling seems to be more of a No. 2 receiver or complementary piece than a true No. 1, but this is the reality in today’s NFL: the true studs all go in the top half of the first round now. Polk should be better than infamous recent picks like N’Keal Harry and Tyquan Thornton. He has a chance to start from day 1 as an “X” or “Z” target.
Round 3, No. 68: OT Caedan Wallace, Penn State
Caedan Wallace (Syndication: York Daily Record)
With their all-important third pick and final one of day 2, the Patriots addressed a huge need at tackle with Wallace out of Penn State. Wallace played right tackle for the Nittany Lions and comes into the NFL with tackle-caliber size and length at 6-foot-5, 314 pounds with 34-inch arms.
Wolf told reporters that he’s confident Wallace has the athletic ability to switch from right tackle to left tackle. The hope is that he does indeed pan out as a blindside protector for Maye. For now, left tackle should be considered a competition between Wallace and free-agent signing Chukwuma Okorafor.
Round 4, No. 103: OG Layden Robinson, Texas A&M
Layden Robinson (Dustin Safranek-USA TODAY Sports)
Robinson played right guard at Texas A&M, and projects as a guard at the NFL level at 6-foot-3 and 302 pounds. But he does have great arm length at 34 ⅝ inches. He gets high marks for his power and play strength.
The reason Robinson was a day-3 pick was a relative lack of consistency in his performance, and unrefined techniques in certain areas, particularly in run blocking. He likely won’t play right away for the Patriots, but there are traits for them to work with here, and the potential to develop him into a starting guard down the road.
Round 4, No. 110: WR Javon Baker, UCF
Javon Baker (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)
Another fit for the Eliot Wolf mold, Baker has good size at 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds, and has the skill set to make big plays down the field – jumping ability, ball-tracking, catch radius. He’s also a versatile route-runner, making him a good fit for a West Coast-style offense, which the Patriots are expected to run under offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
The knocks on Baker in his scouting reports note the occasional focus drop and struggles against press-man coverage. But Baker does have the size and strength to possibly be coached up to handle that better at the NFL level. On the Patriots, he’ll have an opportunity to play relatively soon as a big “X” outside receiver, a player type they desperately need.
Round 6, No. 180: DB Marcellas Dial, South Carolina
Marcellas Dial (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
The Patriots finally addressed the defense and a sneaky need in the secondary with the selection of Dial in the sixth round. Dial played as a cornerback at South Carolina and has the physical tools to play man at the NFL level. He has to develop those skills to stick on the Patriots’ roster, but he has a chance, considering their relative lack of certainty at corner.
Round 6, No. 193: QB Joe Milton, Tennessee
Joe Milton III (Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA Today Network)
You can bet your bottom dollar that this pick made our resident draft expert Alex Barth extremely excited. That said, Milton right now is basically a big arm – the biggest arm – and not much else. He has a lot to learn about playing the position at the NFL level. But he should project as a long-term backup for Drake Maye, perhaps with the potential to be something more, if he develops well.
Round 7, No. 231: TE Jaheim Bell, Florida State
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 03: Jaheim Bell #6 of the Florida State Seminoles runs in a 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against the LSU Tigers at Camping World Stadium on September 03, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Bell is undersized for a tight end at 6-foot-2 and 241 pounds, but he showed some pass-catching ability and all-over-the-field versatility for Florida State. He’s an indication that new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo values versatility as much as his predecessor, Bill Belichick. There will be no pressure on Bell to contribute any time soon, with Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper in the fold at tight end. But he has potential as a versatile H-back type if he develops well.
