Quarterback Bo Nix of Oregon (10) Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Latest mock draft has Patriots landing franchise QB and WR in Round 1

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 2/5/24

With a first-year head coach and plenty of roster holes to fill, the 2024 NFL Draft could be franchise-defining for the New England Patriots.

It appears the Pats are ready to move on from 2021 first-rounder Mac Jones, and NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein believes they can find their quarterback of the future but after they get him a No. 1 weapon first.

Zierlein has New England taking Ohio State star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. third overall in his latest mock draft, then trading back up into the back half of the first round to take Oregon QB Bo Nix.

“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. “…We could see the Patriots target the top receiver early on and then jump back into the first round to grab Nix, who had a strong 2023 campaign.”

While Zierlein didn’t list the terms of his hypothetical trade with the Baltimore Ravens, who hold the 30th overall pick, one would imagine it would involve their 2024 second-rounder (35th overall) and possibly another late-rounder or Day 3 pick in the 2025 draft.

% of 3rd down pass attempts that resulted in a 1st down in 2023:

48.21 - Jayden Daniels
48.10 - J.J. McCarthy
43.82 - Bo Nix
42.31 - Caleb Williams
39.29 - Drake Maye
37.93 - Michael Penix pic.twitter.com/P867fU48dH
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 5, 2024

Nix led the NCAA in touchdown passes (45) and completion percentage (77.4) this season while throwing for 4,508 yards — second-most in the country behind Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. (4,903).

In Zierlein’s mock draft, the 23-year-old Nix is the fifth QB off the board after USC’s Caleb Williams (No. 1), LSU’s Jayden Daniels (No. 2), North Carolina’s Drake Maye (No. 5) and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy (No. 16).

Harrison Jr., who caught 67 receptions, 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns this year, would bolster a Patriots’ WR room that ranked 29th in receiving yards, 27th in touchdown receptions and 22nd in receptions. The team’s leading receiver, DeMario Douglas, had just 49 receptions and 561 yards but didn’t reach the end zone.

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