Waiting for Draft? Patriots Yet to Add Offensive Difference-maker

Using the No. 3 overall draft pick to provide a boost for the offense while securing a franchise building block increasingly appears to be the way forward for the New England Patriots.

Running back Antonio Gibson and tight end Austin Hooper are proven complementary players, but they alone are not enough to move the needle for a Patriots' offense that ranked 30th out of 32 NFL teams in 2023.

Unless they nab one of the few appealing receivers remaining on the free agent market, the Patriots appear to be running it back with many of the same characters. At quarterback, they've swapped out former first-rounder Mac Jones in favor of old friend Jacoby Brissett, but the latter is likely viewed as nothing more than a bridge option.

It all leads to the question of what to do with the premium draft pick that Eliot Wolf has in his holster? This selection may wind up defining the young general manager's tenure.

Even without a franchise field general in place, it may be tempting for the Patriots to consider receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 3 overall. Projected as a generational talent, Harrison, a two-time consensus All-American coming off back-to-back 1,200-yard season for Ohio State, is exactly the kind of offensive weapon that New England is lacking.