Meet the Patriots 2024 draft class: A franchise QB, and the weapons to start a new era

The 2024 NFL Draft is in the books and the New England Patriots have come away with the building blocks to rebuild their offense.

They got a quarterback of the future in Drake Maye. They picked up multiple guys to block for him — and three guys to throw to.

Here’s what the entire Patriots 2024 NFL Draft class looks like:

Round 1, Pick No. 3 – Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
Round 2, Pick No. 37 – Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
Round 3, Pick No. 68 – Caedan Wallace, OT, Penn State
Round 4, Pick No. 110 – Layden Robinson, OL, Texas A&M
Round 4, Pick No. 110 – Javon Baker, WR, UCF
Round 6, Pick No. 180 – Marcellas Dial, CB, South Carolina
Round 6, Pick No. 193 – Joe Milton, QB, Tennessee
Round 7, Pick No. 231 – Jaheim Bell, TE, Florida State

If that’s not enough, here’s everything we had to say about each Patriots pick this weekend:

Round 1, Pick No. 3 – Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

After trading away Mac Jones earlier this offseason, the Patriots now have their quarterback of the future. The 6-foot-4, 223-pound Maye has prototypical size for an NFL quarterback. He also has tremendous athleticism and a rocket of an arm.

Maye has all the tools to be a star quarterback. But there are questions about whether he needs to sit in order to give him time to develop before becoming a successful starter.

Maye is the Patriots’ highest-drafted player since the team took Drew Bledsoe No. 1 overall in 1993. The former Tar Heel could go down as one of the most important picks in franchise history.

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Round 2, Pick No. 37 – Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington

The Patriots opened up Day 2 by getting an exciting receiver to pair up with their rookie quarterback.

The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Polk was part of an explosive offense at Washington. He comes in with a reputation as a consistent receiver with solid hands and good speed. He wasn’t the flashiest receiver on the board, but comes with high praise for his leadership and character off the field.

Maye seemed to like the pick, calling Polk a “stud” on social media.

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Round 3, Pick No. 68 – Caedan Wallace, OT, Penn State

After filling major needs at quarterback and receiver, the Patriots turned their attention to the offensive line. Wallace comes to the NFL after a productive career at Penn State.

Wallace only played right tackle in college, playing 40 games there. But the Patriots think he has the potential to move over to the left side in the NFL.

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Round 4, Pick No. 103 – Layden Robinson, OL, Texas A&M

New England went offensive line with back-to-back picks this year, adding even more talent to build around Maye moving forward.

Robinson was an up-and-down player in college. At times he looked like a top-round pick, but lacked consistency. He has high potential. But coaching will be key.

Round 4, Pick No. 110 – Javon Baker, WR, UCF

New England doubled up on receivers by taking an exciting playmaker on Day 3. Baker was one of the most explosive receivers in college football last season, but also dealt with some drops.

At 6-foot-1, 202 pounds, Baker has good size. His 40-time (4.54) doesn’t quite capture his big-play ability.

After being drafted, Baker showed that he’s clearly confident, making some bold statements about his game.

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Round 6, Pick No. 180 – Marcellas Dial, CB, South Carolina

With their sixth pick of this draft, the Patriots finally took a defensive player. Dial comes in as a ball-hawking corner with great ball skills. He has good size and speed, but his cover skills might need some polishing at the NFL level.

Round 6, Pick No. 193 – Joe Milton, QB, Tennessee

The Patriots double-dipped at quarterback, bringing in another prospect with a high ceiling in the form of Milton. The 6-foot-5, 246-pound quarterback has an absolute cannon for an arm — and is often credited with having the strongest arm in this class. He’s also plenty athletic, running a 4.62 in the 40.

Still, Milton is a bit underdeveloped. He only spent one season as a full-time starter. There’s some speculation that Milton could move to tight end at the next level, but he quickly shot that down.

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Round 7, Pick No. 231 – Jaheim Bell, TE, Florida State

With their final pick of the draft, the Patriots added perhaps the most versatile player of the bunch. During his time at FSU (and South Carolina before that), Bell was a do-it-all player. He played tight end, blocked as an H-back, took handoffs as a running back and split out wide to run routes deep as a receiver. During ESPN’s coverage, analyst Louis Riddick compared Bell to 49ers Pro Bowl Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

Undrafted Free Agents

The Patriots kept on adding players after the conclusion to the draft. The team was active on the UDFA market. Here’s a rundown of all the undrafted players the Patriots signed or invited to their rookie minicamp after the conclusion of the draft.

(You can find more info on each player in our UDFA roundup.)