NFL mock draft: Patriots 3-round projection if New England gets No. 1 pick

Everyone on the Patriots roster will be doing their level-headed best to close out their regular season with a victory over the Bills on Sunday afternoon. Fans in New England will have to be forgiven if they aren't overly interested in seeing their team knock off Josh Allen's squad. A loss to Buffalo will give New England the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

The Patriots are the only team guaranteed to secure a top-five pick heading into the final game of the 2024 regular season. ESPN's Analytics team gives Jerod Mayo's team a 78.1% chance of "defeating" the Tennessee Titans to keep hold of the top pick.

The real question is what Eliot Wolfe and his staff will do with their premium draft picks. They won't take a quarterback to usurp Drake Maye which gives them a ton of optionality. Here's how the Patriots should leverage their top three picks.

Patriots mock draft Round 1 pick: Travis Hunter

The Patriots' brain trust should not overthink the No. 1 overall pick. Travis Hunter is the most talented player in this class irrespective of position. For New England, he projects as a potential Hall of Fame cornerback who can anchor their defense for the next decade.

The defensive staff would relish the opportunity to put Hunter on an island against any receiver in the NFL. His presence on the field would change the math for a team that needs to boost its pass rush. Having an extra body to throw into blitz packages would be a boon to coordinator DeMarcus Covington and his staff.

New England could also consider giving Hunter some offensive snaps as well. They do not have enough difference-makers at the skill positions for Maye. Hunter is not an elite receiver prospect but his ball skills give him a chance to be a big play threat for any offense that chooses to utilize him correctly.

A trade down is always possible given the desperation some teams will feel to move up and secure the quarterback of their choice. If the Patriots stand pat at No. 1 they need to make the obvious selection. Hunter would give their roster a boost of star power that it sorely lacks.

Patriots mock draft Round 2 pick: Gray Zabel

The Patriots need to do a better job of giving Maye clean pockets to throw from next season. Adding a tackle and a guard via the draft would be advisable for the team's front office. Landing a quality prospect like Gray Zabel in Round 2 could turn into a value selection for the franchise.

The North Dakota State standout will need some time to get up and running to life in the NFL, but he has the athletic traits required to stand up against quality edge rushers. He's more of a technician than a mauler but his feet and hands work well in tandem to keep opposing linemen at bay. He doesn't have ideal length for the tackle position but he makes up for it with a high level of coordination.

There's a chance Zabel will get snapped up before the Patriots go on the clock in Round 2 which might push them to shift to select the best player available. They have more than enough needs to find a potential starter with such a premium draft pick. Landing a tackle like Zabel would represent an ideal outcome for New England but they should not reach for any player due to position. If he's off the board, defensive line could easily turn into the right value proposition for New England at the top of Round 2.

Patriots mock draft Round 3 pick: Tyler Booker

Balancing out the addition of a finesse tackle with a road grader at guard could be the perfect cure for what ails the Patriots up front. Spending a third-round selection on Alabama star Tyler Booker would give New England's ground game a much-needed boost of physicality up front.

Booker has exceptional size for the guard position and he knows how to use it to his advantage. He has violent hands and backs his punches up by driving opposing lineman with his legs. It will be impossible for him to overwhelm NFL lineman the way he does some college opponents but his tape against high-level opposition was also excellent.

The only issue with going with Booker here is that Round 3 might be a little too high for a team with so many needs on the roster. Not getting a natural wide receiver to take pressure off Maye to make so many tight throws would be a miss for the Patriots in this draft. They might not be able to wait until Round 4 to find a weapon for their new franchise quarterback. Giving him a starting guard would still help Maye, just not in the flashy way some fans are clamoring for.