New England Patriots Mock Draft: Making it right for Mac Jones
The New England Patriots have made some strides this offseason to try and improve their offense, and should continue to do so in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The regression from the Patriots from 2022 to 2023 was something to watch. Putting the offense in the hands of Matt Patricia, the Patriots faltered and wasted another year of quality play from the defense.
Just this offseason, they’ve brought in Bill O’Brien, Mike Gesicki, James Robinson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster to try and bring the offense back to life. They need to continue that trend in the 2023 NFL Draft.
New England Patriots Mock Draft: Making it right for Mac Jones
14th overall: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
The Patriots desperately need to hit on a wide receiver, and JSN out of Ohio State could continue a recent trend of WRs turning into young studs out of this school. Pairing JSN with Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne could pay off a bit for the Patriots.
46th overall: Cody Mauch, OT, North Dakota State
Mauch might be seen as a guard on the next level, but the Patriots have had quality offensive lines for years, and if they think he could be a tackle, then I trust their judgement. Mauch has that grizzly bear type of personality, which could bode well playing on the offensive line.
76th overall: Kayson Boutte, WR, LSU
Why not double up on the wide receivers? LSU has brought in some stellar wide receivers in recent drafts, and maybe Boutte can be the next one. He fell to 76 in this mock draft using PFN’s Mock Draft simulator, and if Boutte could have a strong offense, he might be able to push Parker or Bourne off the team.
107th overall: Zack Kuntz, TE, Old Dominion
The New England Patriots managed to trade Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons and also signed Mike Gesicki, so their TE room got quite the upgrade in 2023, but still adding to the pass catchers is a smart idea if the Patriots want to try to maximize Mac Jones.
117th overall: Kendre Miller, RB, TCU
135th overall: Jaquelin Roy, DT, LSU
184th overall: Terell Smith, CB, Minnesota
187th overall: Nic Jones, CB, Ball State
192nd overall: Ronnie Bell, WR, Michigan
210th overall: Aidan O’Connell, QB, Purdue
245th overall: Josh Whyle, TE, Cincinnati
The rest of this New England Patriots mock draft focused on trying to get some talent in the cornerback room and also simply taking the best player available during each selection. Late round picks usually end up deep down in depth charts, on practice squads, or out of the league all together, but you truly never know how a prospect will do until you see them on the field.