NFL Mock Draft: Patriots Pick 'Generational' Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.?
As the New England Patriots begin to pick up the pieces from a disastrous 4-13 campaign, it's clear that one side of the ball needs far more work than the other.
For the Patriots' many faults in 2023, their defense was quite solid even after losing two of their best defensive players in linebacker Matthew Judon and cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
The Patriots' offense, though? Calling their performance on that side of the ball bad would be an understatement. New England finished at or near the bottom of the league in pretty much every important stat, and between injuries and a revolving door at quarterback, the offense was just a mess all around.
Barbara J. Peneric - Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY Network
With the Patriots entering a new era under Jerod Mayo, he and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt have a lot of fix on offense.
April's 2024 NFL Draft seems like the perfect place to start the offensive overhaul, and understandably, many draft experts predict that New England will take its quarterback of the future. However, others predict them to take a generational talent in Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., and that's the direction NFL.com's Lance Zierlein went with his first mock draft.
"Harrison is an easy plug-and-play option here, but it will be interesting to see if the Patriots feel pressured to take a QB at No. 3," Zierlein wrote.
Harrison, son of Indianapolis Colts legend Marvin Harrison Sr., was always going to be a coveted prospect based on his family history, and he has completely backed it up with his play at the college level.
Over the past two seasons, Harrison has appeared in 25 games and racked up 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns on 144 receptions. His length list of accomplishments includes two unanimous All-American selections and the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best receiver in 2023.
It's hard to ignore the Patriots' glaring need at quarterback, but if Harrison is still in the board at No. 3 overall, it may be worth it to draft the best receiver prospect in years.
