Effectively, that was straightforward.
The New England Patriots entered the 2024 NFL Draft with three clear wants: quarterback, offensive deal with and large receiver. Whereas some debated the order of these three, the positions themselves have been by no means up for debate.
By way of the primary three rounds of the NFL draft, the Patriots chosen gamers to handle these areas. It began Thursday night time with the plain determination to choose quarterback Drake Maye, who alone jumpstarts the rebuild at One Patriot Place. It continued Friday night time when the group correctly used its second-round decide on a large receiver fairly than an offensive deal with. The Patriots drafted wideout Ja’Lynn Holt at No. 37 earlier than they chosen offensive lineman Caedan Wallace at No. 68.
Each Wolf and Wallace really feel strongly the Penn State product will be capable to play the left deal with spot.
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It’s like Wolf, in his first yr operating the present, by no means even broke a sweat. If something, Wolf truly seemed well-versed in the entire thing. Good genes, possibly? He manipulated the board when he traded three spots down within the second spherical after he had intel no group was competing for Polk. Wolf stated Polk would have been New England’s decide at No. 34, however the Patriots traded again to No. 37 and chosen the Washington wideout, and in flip turned a fifth-rounder right into a fourth-rounder with a 27-spot bounce.
“It fell actually properly for us,” Wolf stated throughout a video convention. “Polk was a man we had focused; Wallace was a man we had focused.”
If you happen to’re being sincere with your self, it served as a pleasant change of tempo from current Invoice Belichick drafts, too. There was no buying and selling down within the first spherical simply to accumulate extra picks — picks that have been no positive issues themselves. There was no reaching on Cole Unusual-like choices, both. Nope, it’s unlikely there will likely be a viral video of an NFL group mocking the Patriots this time round.
This isn’t to say we’ll mirror on the 2024 draft class in 5 years and provides the Patriots an A-plus. May that be the case? Positive. However who is aware of. These three gamers may all show to be flops, and in that case the Patriots could be in an excellent worse spot than they’re now coming off a 4-13 season.
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No matter that, there’s something to be stated in regards to the course of to date. As Wolf expressed, the Patriots narrowed down and focused particular gamers and confirmed conviction once they drafted them.
“We had some exploratory conversations about probably transferring again from 68, after which, it was simply form of like, ‘Effectively, why? That is the man that we had wished all alongside,’” Wolf stated in reference to Wallace. “So, typically it doesn’t fall for you; it fell fairly properly for us as we speak.”
When talking about Polk, Wolf added: “He’s a man that we had our eye on for some time.”
Patriots followers ought to take consolation understanding the group’s brass drafted gamers it spent months finding out, evaluating and in the end pin-pointing nearly as good suits.
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The Patriots nonetheless have work to do. They shouldn’t be completed weaponizing the offense, even though’s the one aspect of the ball they’ve drafted for to date. However they’re off to a superb begin via three rounds. And it’s due to how they’ve performed the board and attacked their largest areas of want.