2024 NFL Combine: 13 prospects Patriots should watch this week
It used to be that Bill Belichick would tsk-tsk the media for asking him about prospects slated to go in the top five of the draft. He was rarely interested in discussing prospects which were entirely unattainable for him.
Well, the Patriots are now drafting in the top five. And Belichick is no longer with the team. It's a strange new world, one in which New England is one of the most influential teams at the 2024 NFL Combine.
The Patriots will have director of scouting Eliot Wolf running the show. New head coach Jerod Mayo might not even set foot in Indianapolis. Let's look at several prospects who might be interesting to New England as the team figures out what to do with the No. 3 overall pick and how to plan the rest of its draft.
Quarterbacks
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Maye are expected to go 1-2-3 in the draft, and all three QBs are reportedly skipping workouts and throwing at the combine. If the Patriots stay at No. 3 overall, Maye is the one who could be there for the taking. As they evaluate his tape and interview him in Indy, the Patriots will have one important question in mind: Can he make the leap that Josh Allen and Justin Herbert made? Maye is a high-potential, low-floor prospect, which might scare some teams because his development will require careful and intense work by him and his future employer. And that doesn't always go well. Just look at Zach Wilson.
No prospect had a more meteoric rise than Daniels last season. He is a top-three lock and is much closer to Williams in projections than most think. But he's also a tough evaluation because of how different his film was in 2023 compared to his other four college years. And then there's another question: What do you do with a guy who spent five years in college? Because he looked terrific in his final year. So on one hand, he showed just how much he can learn and develop. On the other hand, you have to wonder whether he was simply older and more experienced than everyone else. He also had an elite supporting cast last season. The combine will be a spot where the Patriots can begin to flush out some answers.
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If Maye is a high-potential, low-floor prospect, then McCarthy is the higher-ceiling and lower-floor guy. (Or maybe just a similarly high ceiling. But you get the point: He's a risky, developmental guy whose prospect status is based on projection.) While Maye will go in the top three picks, McCarthy is trying to lock up a spot in the first round. Some see him as a top-10 pick while others see him as a second-round gamble.
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So McCarthy can use this week in Indianapolis to win over the Falcons, Giants, Seahawks and Broncos. His interviews will be paramount in convincing evaluators he's worth a first-round pick. And maybe some team will fall in love with him. If it's the Patriots, then maybe they trade back and take McCarthy — or they trade up into the back end of the first round from their second-rounder.
The least-discussed but most important part of the combine is the medical evaluations. NFL teams spend the week taking X-ray after X-ray and MRI after MRI. So Penix, who has suffered ACL and shoulder injuries, needs to hope the imaging looks favorable for him. He is probably a second-round prospect, considering his injury history and struggles against top-tier defenses. But if the medicals look bad, it might spell trouble for Penix.
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Wide Receivers
Roman Wilson, Michigan
When a guy plays as fast as Wilson, he might not really need crazy testing numbers. But it doesn't hurt to put them up. Whether at Michigan or at the Senior Bowl, Wilson quickly showed NFL scouts that he's a burner. In New England, he would spell the end of the Tyquan Thornton Era. (If that was even a thing.) Wilson is just a pure burner.
Mitchell has good speed, agility and a ridiculous catch radius. He is one of those guys who will be fascinating to watch during drills. For the Patriots, it's a matter of whether they like his fit in their offense as the perimeter receiver. If the combine confirms he has all the traits, then new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will have to decide whether Mitchell is the best option at the top of the second round — or thereabouts.
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Offensive Tackles
He's going to blow people away with his testing. If the Patriots trade back, I wouldn't be surprised if they have Fashanu or Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt in mind. Both are absolutely sterling prospects with amazing potential.
Suamatia is a fringe first-rounder. ESPN's Mel Kiper projects the BYU OT to go in Round 1 while NFL.com's Lance Zuerlein has Suamataia ranked as OT 14. The tackle spot is extremely deep and should be a hotspot of differing opinions. Ultimately, Suamataia could absolutely be a player the Patriots target with their second pick. But the only way he climbs into the top 40 is if he confirms his freakish athleticism with impressive testing this week in Indy. Because without elite measurables, his sloppy play looks less like potential and more like a low ceiling.
Tight End
Ja'Tavion Sanders, Texas
Van Pelt is a tight ends OC. That's where he came from in the coaching ranks. And he did a nice job getting the most out of Browns tight end David Njoku in the second half of the season. It's unlikely to think the Patriots will go with a tight end in the top 10, when Georgia's Brock Bowers goes off the board. But what about on Day 2? Sanders seems to be the consensus TE2. And guess who he best compares to? Njoku, of course. Sanders is not the biggest guy (6-foot-4, 243), so teams will be keen to see whether his strength and speed match his film.
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Linebackers
It's a weird draft for linebackers. The Athletic's draft analyst Dane Brugler doesn't have a single guy in the range between 29th and 50th overall. There isn't a top-end player at the position. There isn't a lot of depth. So it'll be about fit, if New England and Mayo see a linebacker they want to add. Cooper is a combine tester waiting to happen. He's fast, he's physical, he's strong. So for him, it'll be about interviews: What answers does he have for the film where he made a fair few mistakes?
Medicals, medicals, medicals. Wilson has dealt with season-ending injuries to his shoulder and knee (ACL). He also had hamstring problems. So it will be about imaging for the linebacker, who otherwise looks like an elite athlete and potential four-down playmaker for an NFL team. But the combine will dictate whether he's a Day 2 or Day 3 guy.
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Safety
Safety might be the worst position in this draft. And yet I think Nubin might be exactly what the Patriots need. It's just a question of whether he lasts until Day 2. He's an interesting prospect to potentially pair with Kyle Dugger, who can play centerfield but is at his best when he's closer to the line of scrimmage. Nubin could eventually take some of the assignments once bestowed on Devin McCourty, a coverage player with a rare blend of game-breaking takeaway abilities but careful risk management to prevent the big play.
Defensive Tackle
T'Vondre Sweat, Texas
With his size, he might jump into the top half of the first round if he tests well. But that would be a surprise. Because of his nose-tackle type size and play, he might not be a fit for every scheme. But the Patriots can make use of the 6-foot-4, 365-pound DT. He and Christian Barmore would be an absolute nightmare to block in the run game. Any time a prospect is that big, he bears watching at a measurables contest.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.