Mid-season mock draft: First-round trades allow Patriots to completely rebuild their offense

New England will look totally different on offense after the upcoming draft.

The New England Patriots’ season has been a dumpster fire so far. Without a chance to look towards the playoffs, or any meaningful games in December, it’s a good opportunity to look further into the future — namely, the 2024 NFL Draft.

With that in mind, here is an early mid-season three-round mock draft of what the Patriots could do in the upcoming draft. The draft positions are based on the NFL standings after Week 11.

Round 1

TRADE: Patriots trade 1-3 to Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 1-10, 2-42, and a 2025 1st: The Patriots make the difficult decision to move back from the third overall spot, even with one of the two premier quarterbacks still on the board. They simply have too many holes and need too much to fix their offensive issues.

The move allows them to stay in the top 10, while also picking up another top 50 pick plus a first-rounder the following year. Patriots fans might not be happy about it, but I think this is the best move for a team with a lack of talent across the board, especially on offense.

1-10: WR Malik Nabers (LSU): The Patriots are in dire need of a legit number one receiver, and Nabers fits that bill for them perfectly. He has the size and athleticism necessary, but he’s also a very good route runner. His elite jumping ability makes him very good at contested catches, as he can get up and pluck the ball out of the air.

The Patriots need to add some explosiveness to their offense, and make teams have to game-plan for specific players. Nabers has a chance to be that kind of skill position option for the Patriots from Day 1.

TRADE: Patriots trade 2-35 and 4-103 to Baltimore Ravens for 1-31: The Patriots still have a glaring need at quarterback, and they decide to get proactive instead of waiting for a player to drop to them. The Patriots could have taken Lamar Jackson in 2018, but instead the Ravens moved into the pick behind them to pick him up; now Baltimore makes it possible for the Patriots to take their own quarterback of the future.

1-31: QB Jayden Daniels (LSU): The Patriots are in desperate need of a quarterback that can make their offense elite — a player that can take their offense into the 21st century. They need somebody who has the arm talent to make any throw, but also the ability to create plays with his legs. LSU’s Jayden Daniels is exactly that type of player.

Daniels has put on a show this season at LSU: he has completed 72.6 percent of his passes for 3,577 yards, 36 touchdowns, and just four interceptions, while also gaining 1,014 rushing yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. It is therefore no surprise that he is the current betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy, according to DraftKings Sportbook.

Also, having an elite QB and WR from LSU has worked wonders for the Cincinnati Bengals offense, so maybe it will work for the Patriots too.

Round 2

2-42: OT Patrick Paul (Houston): With their move back from No. 3 overall, the Patriots are able to make two first-round picks and also add another player near the top of the second round. That player is Houston offensive tackle Patrick Paul.

Michael Onwenu should be a long-term starting right tackle for the Patriots, but they need a more reliable answer at left tackle than Trent Brown. Paul has a chance to be that player: he’s big, he’s agile, and he’s a solid pass protector. He could use some work as a run blocker, and might need to add a bit of muscle to up his play strength, but he’s exactly the type of body frame and player that has done well in today’s NFL.

To give a rookie QB the best chance to succeed, he needs to have a good complement of receivers and a good offensive line in front of him. With the first three picks of this draft, the Patriots have reshaped their entire offense, which is something they were in desperate need of after the last few years.

Round 3

3-67: DT T’Vondre Sweat (Texas): The NFL is currently set up for offenses to be dominant, and there is more speed than ever. However, the game is still won in the trenches, and controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides still gives you a big advantage over your opponent. That’s where a guy like T’Vondre Sweat comes in.

A massive guy at 6-foot-4, 362 pounds, he can clog up the middle of a defense. He is more than just a space eater though, and also has 7.5 tackles for a loss this season, to go along with a pair of sacks. Having a guy at Sweat’s size who can also make an impact in the passing game is rare. The Patriots rolling out Sweat, Christian Barmore, Keion White, and Matthew Judon would give them one disruptive unit up front that is going to be tough to run or pass on.

There is a long way to go before the actual NFL Draft, of course, but there is no harm in looking forward to hoping that the Patriots are going to be able to fill some of their glaring holes this offseason.

Let me know in the comments what you think of this mock draft.