Goldfish's Way Too Early Draft Rankings 2024 (All Up)

[FrantikRam]

2 hours ago, Daniel said:

Man, I thought the Raiders’ draft was garbage.

Bowers when you already have Mayer, a right guard, Glaze is fine, a CB who is only being drafted for his 40 time, a LB drafted despite his 40 time, and a running back. Don’t think it moves the needle much.

 

Fair or not, taking who was the consensus best player available with their first pick is so un-Raider like, they deserve an A just for that

[goldfishwars]

12. New England Patriots

This Class In One Sentence:

Drake Maye, Drake Maye, Drake Maye, Drake Maye, Drake Maye, Drake Maye

Pre-Draft Needs (According to https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/team-needs-2024)

QB, WR, OT, EDGE, CB, TE, RB

Selections

3. Drake Maye | QB | North Carolina

37. Ja'Lynn Polk | WR | Washington

68. Caedan Wallace | OT | Penn State

103. Layden Robinson | OL | Texas A&M

110. Javon Baker | WR | UCF

180. Marcellas Dial | CB | South Carolina

193. Joe Milton III | QB | Tennessee

232. Jaheim Bell | TE | Florida State

Best Pick

Drake Maye – Look, for anyone familiar with my pre-draft takes – I was Team Drake Maye or trade down if he was not there. As he was comfortably my second-ranked quarterback prospect, I’m delighted he was available and they unquestionably made the right decision despite the hit other parts of the roster may have to take as a result.

There’s so much to like about Maye - the prototypical size, the great arm, his high-end athletic traits that allow him to threaten as a thrower and runner. He does have inexplicable accuracy blips and got caught out big-game hunting a little too often at North Carolina. But he’s also capable of being a consistent game-winner if he’s handled well.

Worst Pick

Caedan Wallace – He was just a little off my radar, I think for similar reasons to Blake Fisher because they were overshadowed as prospects by their teammates. There were late rumors he was going higher than expected in a class where it was a little ‘pick your poison’ after round 1. He does have good size and is functionally athletic enough to think he can contribute on the left side of a line which looks like a chasm of despair right now. That was always likely to be the case if the Pats went QB/WR as they did. Whether he can be an effective starter early is another matter. 

Overall

It’s the first Pats draft I can remember where I wasn’t bemused at various points. It feels way closer to the consensus than Belichick’s usual ignoring of his scouting staff and running through a tiny list of prospects on his notepad. Those recent drafts, excusing the Christian Gonzalez selection, have been a significant reason why he was squeezed out of New England. That abandoning of the offensive side of the football would be another, which is what Eliot Wolf and co have attempted to re-address decently well after a frustrating free agency period where they couldn't spend the money available.

Whether the selection of Maye was Wolf's decision alone, we won’t know. There are rumors the call came from up high, as apparently there were with Houston last year. I think that’s the right decision given the calibre of the prospect and the zero cost to get him. You just don't know when those opportunities come back around. Teams were willing to sell the farm for Maye and you don't want to be that team in a year's time. 

I know some have called the Ja'Lynn Polk selection a reach, but not it didn't feel that way to me who had him as my 43^rd overall player. Certainly, he was overshadowed by the achievements of his Rome Odunze, but also perhaps unfairly so because he has a well-rounded game of his own. He can win underneath and as a go-get-it ball winner, and regularly dunked on DBs at Washington. He will also block all day, which is nice. The lack of elite long speed isn’t ideal on a roster which needs that, but I think this is a very solid, high-floor pick.

Layden Robinson was the second selection on the offensive line which felt a little early with higher-rated (by me) prospects on the interior available. He is a good run-blocker and was up and down at A&M after getting first-round attention earlier in his career there. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see both him and Wallace starting games this season in what might be a complete free-for-all competition for spots. 

Javon Baker was my second favorite selection of the draft in the fourth round, and man was he upset when they made that call. Some of his comments were wild, talking about having a game so electrifying it gets people in wheelchairs out of their seats. He does have great size, he’s thickly built and thrived on the outside. He can cut on a dime and is a deadly producer in the red zone, even if, again, there’s a lack of elite long speed which curtails the excitement a little.

Of the remaining selections, I’m highest on Jaheim Bell who could have been drafted anywhere outside the first round and I wouldn’t have been shocked. He’s a tricky projection given his tweener size, but there are some incredible tackle-breaking highlights on his film. Joe Milton might have been selected to make Maye’s accuracy look better and Dial is a decent shot on a versatile defensive back.

Edited May 6 by goldfishwars

[Hunter2_1]

52 minutes ago, goldfishwars said:

12. New England Patriots

This Class In One Sentence:

Drake Maye, Drake Maye, Drake Maye, Drake Maye, Drake Maye, Drake Maye

Pre-Draft Needs (According to https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/team-needs-2024)

QB, WR, OT, EDGE, CB, TE, RB

Selections

3. Drake Maye | QB | North Carolina

37. Ja'Lynn Polk | WR | Washington

68. Caedan Wallace | OT | Penn State

103. Layden Robinson | OL | Texas A&M

110. Javon Baker | WR | UCF

180. Marcellas Dial | CB | South Carolina

193. Joe Milton III | QB | Tennessee

232. Jaheim Bell | TE | Florida State

Best Pick

Drake Maye – Look, for anyone familiar with my pre-draft takes – I was Team Drake Maye or trade down if he was not there. As he was comfortably my second-ranked quarterback prospect, I’m delighted he was available and they unquestionably made the right decision despite the hit other parts of the roster may have to take as a result.

There’s so much to like about Maye - the prototypical size, the great arm, his high-end athletic traits that allow him to threaten as a thrower and runner. He does have inexplicable accuracy blips and got caught out big-game hunting a little too often at North Carolina. But he’s also capable of being a consistent game-winner if he’s handled well.

Worst Pick

Caedan Wallace – He was just a little off my radar, I think for similar reasons to Blake Fisher because they were overshadowed as prospects by their teammates. There were late rumors he was going higher than expected in a class where it was a little ‘pick your poison’ after round 1. He does have good size and is functionally athletic enough to think he can contribute on the left side of a line which looks like a chasm of despair right now. That was always likely to be the case if the Pats went QB/WR as they did. Whether he can be an effective starter early is another matter. 

Overall

It’s the first Pats draft I can remember where I wasn’t bemused at various points. It feels way closer to the consensus than Belichick’s usual ignoring of his scouting staff and running through a tiny list of prospects on his notepad. Those recent drafts, excusing the Christian Gonzalez selection, have been a significant reason why he was squeezed out of New England. That abandoning of the offensive side of the football would be another, which is what Eliot Wolf and co have attempted to re-address decently well after a frustrating free agency period where they couldn't spend the money available.

Whether the selection of Maye was Wolf's decision alone, we won’t know. There are rumors the call came from up high, as apparently there were with Houston last year. I think that’s the right decision given the calibre of the prospect and the zero cost to get him. You just don't know when those opportunities come back around. Teams were willing to sell the farm for Maye and you don't want to be that team in a year's time. 

I know some have called the Ja'Lynn Polk selection a reach, but not it didn't feel that way to me who had him as my 43^rd overall player. Certainly, he was overshadowed by the achievements of his Rome Odunze, but also perhaps unfairly so because he has a well-rounded game of his own. He can win underneath and as a go-get-it ball winner, and regularly dunked on DBs at Washington. He will also block all day, which is nice. The lack of elite long speed isn’t ideal on a roster which needs that, but I think this is a very solid, high-floor pick.

Layden Robinson was the second selection on the offensive line which felt a little early with higher-rated (by me) prospects on the interior available. He is a good run-blocker and was up and down at A&M after getting first-round attention earlier in his career there. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see both him and Wallace starting games this season in what might be a complete free-for-all competition for spots. 

Javon Baker was my second favorite selection of the draft in the fourth round, and man was he upset when they made that call. Some of his comments were wild, talking about having a game so electrifying it gets people in wheelchairs out of their seats. He does have great size, he’s thickly built and thrived on the outside. He can cut on a dime and is a deadly producer in the red zone, even if, again, there’s a lack of elite long speed which curtails the excitement a little.

Of the remaining selections, I’m highest on Jaheim Bell who could have been drafted anywhere outside the first round and I wouldn’t have been shocked. He’s a tricky projection given his tweener size, but there are some incredible tackle-breaking highlights on his film. Joe Milton might have been selected to make Maye’s accuracy look better and Dial is a decent shot on a versatile defensive back.

We have the same “best picks” (Maye, Baker and Bell) and same not so good (in the OL guys). I’m overall slightly lower on our draft than you are, because of those OL picks - I wanted day 1 or 2 starting talent there, but it wasn’t to be. Maybe the run on Tackles killed that in the water 

First time since 1969 we’ve drafted offensive players with our first 5 picks. We know what we are doing and we are trying to fill the holes. An encouraging draft and we absolutely need to try and get Maye some help. Which we have

[onejayhawk]

The Patriots draft is not a head-scratcher. What was Belichick thinking? 

Oh. Wait...

This is weird--a sensible Raiders draft, a comprehensible Patriots draft, coming up is a Chargers draft that looks like a Chiefs draft with an extra pick in the top 10, and a Steelers haul that defines the whole draft. 

Strange days.

[jebrick]

The Pats were so starved for offensive talent, they had to do this.  My only head scratcher for them is Milton.  He is so raw and messed up, when will he get reps to fix the issues?

[minutemancl]

Giants are above the Patriots, which means GFW subconsciously thinks the Patriots actually should have taken the Giants trade offer.

[FrantikRam]

Pats fans, do you want to see Maye starting from day one?

I'm of the opinion that they don't have the team around a QB and should have traded down, but I can see the argument for not assuming you'll be picking that high again

[Daniel]

Pats are a tough one to rank imo. Obviously getting the second best QB third is a huge win, and just sets them up for a great draft overall. Jaheim Bell was a big steal too. Baker was good value where they got him too.

But I do think pretty much every other pick was a reach, especially Polk. I actually picked Wallace pre-draft to be one of those “late Day 3” guys that goes way way earlier than people think, so I don’t know if it was a reach despite the consensus board.

[Chiefer]

Hey why don't I just got and eat some hay. I can lay by the bay, make things out of clay, I just Maye, what'd ya say?

Edited May 6 by Chiefer

[Chiefer]

1 hour ago, jebrick said:

The Pats were so starved for offensive talent, they had to do this.  My only head scratcher for them is Milton.  He is so raw and messed up, when will he get reps to fix the issues?

Tight End switch?

[minutemancl]

1 hour ago, FrantikRam said:

I'm of the opinion that they don't have the team around a QB and should have traded down, but I can see the argument for not assuming you'll be picking that high again

That's not a reason you pass on a QB. There are 2 generally accepted lines of thought right now on how to build a team:

1 Get an elite QB and then build around them or

2 Build a team around the QB first, until you have a chance to get the elite QB

The Pats had the chance to get the elite QB and they took it. It was the right move, IMO.

[FrantikRam]

28 minutes ago, minutemancl said:

That's not a reason you pass on a QB. There are 2 generally accepted lines of thought right now on how to build a team:

1 Get an elite QB and then build around them or

2 Build a team around the QB first, until you have a chance to get the elite QB

The Pats had the chance to get the elite QB and they took it. It was the right move, IMO.

 

I think the NFL has been littered with QBs who failed because the team around them was bad....I guess we'll see how this goes for the Patriots.

[Chiefer]

16 minutes ago, FrantikRam said:

 

I think the NFL has been littered with QBs who failed because the team around them was bad....I guess we'll see how this goes for the Patriots.

For every CJ Stroud, there’s plenty that fail because the team around them sucks. 

[scar988]

49 minutes ago, minutemancl said:

That's not a reason you pass on a QB. There are 2 generally accepted lines of thought right now on how to build a team:

1 Get an elite QB and then build around them or

2 Build a team around the QB first, until you have a chance to get the elite QB

The Pats had the chance to get the elite QB and they took it. It was the right move, IMO.

I completely agree. Maye has Andrew Luck level potential (what he actually was. Not the prospect he was touted to be.)

[Soko]

1 hour ago, FrantikRam said:

Pats fans, do you want to see Maye starting from day one?

I'm of the opinion that they don't have the team around a QB and should have traded down, but I can see the argument for not assuming you'll be picking that high again

Could go either way, I think it’ll be a legit competition. I think the team brought Brissett in as the bridge expecting him to be the guy Week 1, but if Maye blows him out the water over the summer, they’re open to that too. 

The talent around Maye is less make or break than the coaching will be, so we’ll have to see how it goes. I’m fine with either guy starting to start the season.