Regrading the Patriots' 2024 NFL Draft class: A+ for Drake Maye, but poor marks elsewhere

For the New England Patriots, this season was never going to be about their win total or certain players’ stats. The beginning of a rebuild is about finding out which players you can build around and developing young options at important positions.

In that respect, nothing was more important for this new Patriots regime of Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo than hitting on their draft class. So far, eight games into the season and roughly at the midway point, it’s generous to call it a mixed bag. The most important member of the draft class, Drake Maye, looks good. The rest … well … have ranged from bad to unable to see the field.

To get a sense of where things stand with the team’s eight-person draft class, let’s update the grades we offered after the draft in April based on the first half of the season.

Jerod Mayo provides an update on QB Drake Maye. pic.twitter.com/iwvFiaYbDc

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 30, 2024

Round 1, No. 3: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

April grade: A+

Updated grade: A+

It would be fair to argue that the front office doesn’t deserve much credit for simply picking the last of the top three quarterbacks available to them with the No. 3 pick. Unlike the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders, the Patriots didn’t really have a decision to make. Still, I’m not going to knock them since it was conceivable to trade back.

Maye looks like the real deal. Yes, it’s only been two-plus games and he’s in the concussion protocol. But the Patriots seem to have their quarterback of the future, and that was the most important thing to figure out this season. It looks like they nailed the hardest part of this rebuild.

Round 2, No. 37: Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington

April grade: B

Updated grade: D

There’s no sugarcoating this one. Polk has been really bad. There were concerns before the draft about his speed and ability to separate, and both have shown up in the first half of his rookie season.

This was a draft that experts said was filled with high-end wide receiver talent, and the Pats seem to have picked the only one who’s struggling. There were 10 receivers chosen in the first 37 picks, and eight of them have at least 200 yards. The only ones who don’t are Polk and San Francisco 49ers first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, who suffered a gunshot wound to the chest before the season.

Updating our chart on WR separation on all routes and post throw grade (Catchpoint+YAC).

Had to include 2 charts b/c of how much of an outlier Polk is pic.twitter.com/YdDCEEaSTE

— Jrfortgang (@throwthedamball) October 29, 2024

Round 3, No. 68: Caedan Wallace, OT, Penn State

April grade: C

Updated grade: D

We wrote in April that this felt like a reach because the Patriots failed to see the run on offensive tackles before it happened. That still holds today. Despite New England’s poor offensive line, Wallace wasn’t able to crack the starting lineup to start the season, only entering because of injuries and departures above him on the depth chart.

It was also worrying that Wallace had only ever played right tackle. He made his first and only start so far at left tackle in Week 3 — committing three penalties while allowing three pressures — only to return to the bench, then suffer an injury in Week 4 that landed him on injured reserve.

A pick that seemed like a reach in April now looks even worse. How can he continue to develop if he’s injured?

Round 4, No. 103: Layden Robinson, G, Texas A&M

April grade: D

Updated grade: C-

We wrote this spring that the Patriots would’ve been better served picking an outside cornerback here, and we stand by that. On the plus side for Robinson, he cracked the starting lineup to begin the year, serving as the right guard for the first four games.

But he was so bad in Week 4 — allowing seven pressures against the 49ers — that he landed on the bench after that. He came off the bench for the Week 7 game in London and suffered an ankle injury that kept him out of Sunday’s game.

Maybe he improves over the second half of the season, but this is another rookie who isn’t off to a great start.

Round 4, No. 110: Javon Baker, WR, UCF

April grade: A

Updated grade: D+

Maybe I was so excited by the deep-threat potential that I didn’t focus enough on the negatives: his issue with drops and concerns about how he’d handle adversity and properly digest an NFL offense.

That’s why Baker has played only six offensive snaps — even among a group of wide receivers that likely ranks as the worst in the NFL. If he can’t get playing time with this team, that’s not a great sign. Mayo mentioned earlier this week that he wants Baker to get more involved in the offense, so maybe his grade will change soon.

Round 6, No. 180: Marcellas Dial, CB, South Carolina

April grade: B

Updated grade: B-

It’s hard to ding them too much for a sixth-round pick who has not turned into a stud. Dial is still an intriguing athlete (he had a vertical leap of more than 40 inches) even if he’s a bit undersized (at 6-foot) amid a group of undersized cornerbacks.

He’s had some issues on special teams and was part of the unit that allowed a 96-yard punt return touchdown, but the hope is he can develop into a rotational player next season.

Round 6, No. 193: Joe Milton, QB, Tennessee

April grade: A-

Updated grade: A-

I’m not going to move his grade, especially since he was decent in the preseason.

The hope is that Milton becomes reliable enough to be Maye’s sole backup next season, which is still possible. He’ll probably have to beat out a veteran for that job, but that’s a problem for next year.

For now, he’s the No. 3 QB and would serve as Jacoby Brissett’s backup Sunday if Maye is still out due to his concussion.

Round 7, No. 231: Jaheim Bell, TE, Florida State

April grade: B-

Updated grade: B-

He’s been on the field for 16 offensive snaps, which is more than you can say about some seventh-round picks. Tight ends tend to take longer to develop, so the Patriots are just hoping Bell learns from Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper and can be the No. 2 option at the position next year.