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

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 -
• 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.

Read more:

• Drake Maye: Patriots are getting ‘a competitor and a winner’
• Drake Maye already has a relationship started with one of the Patriots QBs
• Patriots rookie Drake Maye hopes to learn from Tom Brady
• For the Patriots, swinging for the fence was the right call | Guregian
• Patriots can’t repeat same mistakes with Drake Maye | Daniels
• Why Patriots should be excited about Drake Maye | Mason
• Inside Drake Maye’s first day with the Patriots
• Drake Maye is ‘poor-man’s Jayson Tatum?’ No way, says brother who’s faced both
• Drake Maye chooses jersey number with Patriots
• Everything Drake Maye said after being drafted by the Patriots
• 3 reasons why Patriots drafted Drake Maye in the first round

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.

Read more:

• Patriots weaponize offense, draft WR in second round
• Will Ja’Lynn Polk develop into the next great Patriots WR?
• What they’re saying about Patriots drafting a WR for Drake Maye
• What does the Patriots newest receiver think of Drake Maye?
• Rookie receiver explains why Patriots are ‘getting a beast’
• Patriots made ‘perfect pick’ taking WR for Drake Maye in Round 2, Draft expert says
• New Patriots WR emulates Hall of Famer and current Pro Bowler
• 3 reasons why Patriots picked WR Ja’Lynn Polk

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.

Read more:

• Patriots address another need, draft tackle in 3rd round
• 3 reasons why Patriots drafted OT Caedan Wallace in third round
• Why a Patriots draft pick’s interview was crashed by an oyster scientist

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.

Read more:

• Patriots rookie WR better walk the walk with this talk | Guregian
• Patriots draft pick played for ‘big brother’ Cam Newton’s 7-on-7 team
• Patriots rookie vows to make teams pay in profanity-laced tirade

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.

Read more:

• 3 reasons why Patriots drafted Joe Milton III in 6th round
• Drake Maye reacts to Patriots drafting QB Joe Milton in 6th round
• Joe Milton will enjoy competing with ‘close’ friend Drake Maye
• Rocket-armed Patriots rookie has been studying tape on interesting QB

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.)

• Charles Turner, C, LSU (Signed)
• Mikey Victor, CB, Alabama State (Signed)
• Dell Pettus, S, Troy (Signed)
• John Morgan, EDGE, Arkansas (Signed)
• Zuri Henry, OT, UTEP (Signed)
• DeShaun Fenwick, RB, Oregon State (Signed)
• Kaleb Ford-Dement, CB, Texas State (Signed)
• Jacob Warren, TE, Tennessee (Signed)
• Jett Bush, LB, Texas (Signed)
• Jontrey Hunter, LB, Georgia State (Signed))
• Vince Blanchard, K, Laval (minicamp invite)
• Trajan Bandy, CB, Miami (Minicamp invite)
• Tairiq Stewart, OT, North Carolina A&T (Minicamp invite)