Waiting for Draft? Patriots Yet to Add Offensive Difference-maker
Using the No. 3 overall draft pick to provide a boost for the offense while securing a franchise building block increasingly appears to be the way forward for the New England Patriots.
Running back Antonio Gibson and tight end Austin Hooper are proven complementary players, but they alone are not enough to move the needle for a Patriots' offense that ranked 30th out of 32 NFL teams in 2023.
Unless they nab one of the few appealing receivers remaining on the free agent market, the Patriots appear to be running it back with many of the same characters. At quarterback, they've swapped out former first-rounder Mac Jones in favor of old friend Jacoby Brissett, but the latter is likely viewed as nothing more than a bridge option.
It all leads to the question of what to do with the premium draft pick that Eliot Wolf has in his holster? This selection may wind up defining the young general manager's tenure.
Even without a franchise field general in place, it may be tempting for the Patriots to consider receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 3 overall. Projected as a generational talent, Harrison, a two-time consensus All-American coming off back-to-back 1,200-yard season for Ohio State, is exactly the kind of offensive weapon that New England is lacking.
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If quarterback Drake Maye or Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels is available to the Patriots when they hit the clock on draft night, then it's easy to see Wolf roll the dice on a signal caller. Although pairing a rookie quarterback with an underwhelming set of receivers won't necessarily result in an immediate rise in win total, it will help restore hope in New England.
After a 4-13 dud of a season, and the end of the Bills Belichick era, the Patriots need to make a splash this offseason. So far, there have been no needle-moving additions, increasing the significance of the opportunity at this year's draft.
The future of New England's offense relies heavily on what happens at No. 3 overall at the 2024 NFL Draft.
