3 Patriots who won’t be back after the 2024 NFL Draft

Out with the old, in with the new.

That is the motto for many teams following the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft as they look to put their past woes behind them in hopes of green pastures with their new, young, and exciting group of prospects ready to make their mark.

The New England Patriots are eager to welcome their new draft class to the roster, with eight new players inbound, featuring No. 3 overall pick and new franchise quarterback Drake Maye.

But to make room for Maye and company, the Pats must part ways with these three players.

3. Conor McDermott, OL

New England came in with an apparent objective to bolster their offensive unit, spending seven of their eight selections on players who operate on that side of the ball, including two linemen.

The Pats took Penn State offensive tackle Caedan Wallace in the third round, followed by guard Layden Robinson of Texas A&M in the fourth. So, moving on from a current member of the line like veteran Conor McDermott feels obligatory to create opportunities for the young guys.

McDermott is in the final year of the two-year, $3.6 million contract he signed last offseason, with no guaranteed money or dead cap on his deal, making him an easy cut candidate. He was limited to six games and five starts in 2023 and now finds himself on the outside looking in after the team brought in reinforcements to beef up the front line.

2. Kayshon Boutte, WR

With the Patriots spending second and fourth-round selections on wide receivers like Washington's Ja'Lynn Polk and UCF's Javon Baker, it has quickly become a crowded positional group -- consisting of nine players.

Considering they signed Kendrick Bourne to a multi-year extension and landed K.J. Osborn via free agency this offseason, it feels safe to assume they will remain on the roster. Moreover, DeMario "Pop" Douglas showed flashes as a rookie in 2023, solidifying his place on the depth chart.

That leaves us with Tyquan Thorton, Jalen Reagor, Kayshon Boutte, and JuJu Smith-Schuster as potential cuts to clear the runway for Polk and Baker.

New England traded up to select Thorton in the second round of the 2022 draft, Reagor has a special teams role, and Smith-Schuster carries a dead cap hit worth over $12 million if released, making Boutte the odd-man out.

Boutte was selected in the sixth round of last year's draft after a three-year collegiate career at LSU but was a non-factor as a rookie in 2023, catching two of his seven targets for 19 yards in five games. His lack of involvement from the jump makes him expendable, especially with two promising young pass-catchers entering the mix.

1. Bailey Zappe, QB

It was not a surprise to see the Pats stick and pick Maye with the third overall selection to address their need for a franchise signal-caller. However, double-dipping at the position and selecting Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III was shocking.

Milton is considered a raw prospect for New England but has all the physical tools and skill set to develop into a dual-threat quarterback with his unique combination of size (6-foot-5, 235 pounds), speed (4.5 seconds 40-yard dash time), and arm strength.

But the Pats now have four quarterbacks on the roster, including Maye, Milton, veteran Jacoby Brissett, and 2022 fourth-round selection Bailey Zappe, meaning one has to go.

Zappe is a natural choice, considering the team has big plans for Maye, as evidenced by the lofty draft capital used to acquire him. Milton is a long-term project, and they signed Brissett this offseason to serve as a mentor/bridge option for the eventual successor (which turned out to be the UNC product).

With only one year remaining on his rookie contract and no guaranteed money owed, Zappe should hit the open market soon enough. He had chances to establish himself as a part of New England's future last season after they pulled the plug on the Mac Jones experiment but has failed to capitalize, going 2-4 in six starts, completing 59.9 percent of his pass attempts for 1,272 yards, six touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

The writing is on the wall for Zappe.