Patriots Can’t Pass on Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2024 NFL Draft, Even for a Top QB

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The New England Patriots must draft a quarterback this year. They almost certainly will. But that particular selection doesn’t need to be with the third overall pick. A better course can be plotted starting with the North Star of this year’s draft class, Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

The Patriots organization is experiencing a rebirth with Bill Belichick’s departure as overlord. How the team will operate will be significantly different with director of scouting (aka general manager) Eliot Wolf and head coach Jarod Mayo now leading the way.

The difference between these two regimes already seems night and day, with Mayo not being indifferent when asked about what New England should do during April’s draft.

“We’re gonna draft the best player for a position that’s very important,” the coach responded when asked directly about the third overall pick during an interview with CBS News Boston. “You put the pieces together.”

Mayo’s answer intimates a quarterback will be the choice. After all, the Patriots can stand…um, pat…and simply take whichever of the top three quarterbacks remain after the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders select their preferred options, whether it be USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye or LSU’S Jayden Daniels.

No one denies how important the quarterback position is or how desperately New England needs to move away from the Mac Jones era. But there is a better way to go about addressing the organization’s current setup that doesn’t necessarily involve blinders with the third selection.

The following is a multi-step plan (in chronological order) for the Patriots to start their rebuild in earnest, still land a quarterback they so desperately need and become a more competitive team, with Harrison serving as the primary building block.

Step One: Trade Mac Jones for Whatever

New England Patriots quarterback Mac JonesRich Barnes/Getty Images

The NFL scouting combine isn’t just a weeklong interview for incoming draft prospects. It’s also the biggest convention of the NFL season, where every team and all of its football personnel are in Indianapolis.

While the combine and the draft are at the forefront of every conversation, other topics are broached. For example, the discussions between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers for last year’s No. 1 overall pick began during combine week.

The same can be done by New England. Wolf should get feelers out to see what teams are willing to give up for Jones, who went from the Pro Bowl as a rookie to benched in Year 3. Wolf can assess the market, see what potential suitors are out there and agree to terms on a deal for whatever that will go into effect at the start of the new league year.

With Jones out of the way, the real restart can begin.

Step Two: Sign Joe Flacco in Free Agency

Free-agent quarterback Joe FlaccoRyan Kang/Getty Images

A slight groan may emanate from the Patriots faithful, because this isn’t the most inspiring direction. Flacco is 39 years old, and his fairytale return last season turned into a pumpkin during the postseason.

However, two critical factors should be considered with this potential move.

First, Flacco can provide a steady, veteran presence, as he did for the Cleveland Browns last season when the team was dealing with myriad injuries that could have tanked the entire campaign. Instead, the 16-year veteran played some of the best ball of his career and subsequently won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.

Second, familiarity breeds stability. Mayo hired Alex Van Pelt and T.J. McCartney as the Patriots’ new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, respectively. Both served on the Browns’ staff over the past four seasons. They know exactly what to expect from Flacco. The veteran signal-caller can help them implement and teach their offense. Conversely, the coaches understand how to build the system around his particular skill set.

Thus, the Patriots aren’t rushed into playing a rookie quarterback and have someone on the roster who can help in the incoming prospect’s development.

Step Three: Address the Offensive Line in Free Agency

Free-agent offensive lineman Michael OnwenuCooper Neill/Getty Images

Real talk, the Patriots aren’t a destination franchise anymore. They really haven’t been for some time. But those early post-Tom Brady years included a couple uncharacteristic splashes at the onset of free agency.

At this point in the organization’s existence, it must overpay to entice free agents to join the team.

New England can mitigate its spending by re-signing Michael Onwenu to a contract extension before free agency begins. Even if the front office does, the other tackle spot needs addressed since Trent Brown is set to test the market.

Jonah Williams is a realistic target by promising a return to left tackle after the Cincinnati Bengals unceremoniously switched him to the right side last year.

Furthermore, the Patriots can mine the Browns pipeline again since new offensive line coach Scott Peters previously served on the staff, and Cleveland has one of the league’s deepest front fives. Center Nick Harris and utility lineman Michael Dunn are both options to improve the overall quality of the unit.

If Onwenu wants to enter free agency, he’ll have plenty of suitors and will likely land elsewhere. The Patriots can then take a run at an experienced starter in Chukwuma Okorafor, Jermaine Eluemunor or Yosh Nijman.

While the situation is not ideal, offensive line improvements must supersede any other position group at the start of the new league year. Without a solid foundation up front, it won’t really matter who’s playing being center.

Step Four: Draft Marvin Harrison Jr.

Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

While this may be the fourth step, it’s the key to the Patriots’ entire offseason.

Without going further, obviously, the wide receiver position doesn’t hold the same value as quarterback. But value is a sliding scale.

Harrison is the top-ranked player on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department’s current draft board, with the highest overall grade the staff has designated so far. The reigning Biletnikoff Award winner is a Hall of Fame-caliber talent and the best prospect in the entire class. There’s absolutely no reason to overthink this selection, particularly when viewing the alternative.

Ultimately, this decision comes down to Harrison v. Daniels, since the expectation is Williams and Maye will be drafted with the first and second overall picks. For comparison, Daniels currently ranks 24th on B/R’s board. Even when positional value is taken into account, that’s a significant drop-off.

The Patriots haven’t had an outside target as talented as Harrison since Randy Moss last donned the uniform in 2010. The son of a Hall of Famer is the closest thing to a surefire prospect as it gets. His scouting report from B/R scout Derrik Klassen reads like a list of wants when trying to design the perfect wide receiver.

Harrison is an exceptional mover for 6’4″ and 205 pounds. While he can play a little high at times, Harrison plays with rare foot speed and agility for a player his size. He can throttle route speeds with ease and snaps off all of his routes in an instant. He’s a smart, controlled route-runner with the perfect athletic tools to maximize those traits.

Harrison has real-deal speed, too. He’s at his best on vertical routes. Harrison flies off the line of scrimmage and threatens DBs right away, often using his hands and movement skills to effortlessly stack them down the sideline. Go balls, comebacks, deep stop routes and digs are some of Harrison’s best routes because they let him use his speed as a threat.

Above all, Harrison has truly exceptional ball skills. It’s as if time slows down for Harrison when the ball is on its way. Harrison has a way of seeing the ball in cleanly every time and extending his long arms to pluck it from the air as soon as he can. He generally has the strength to hang onto passes through contact, too.

Whereas, Daniels’ assessment isn’t as glowing from Klassen:

Daniels’ arm talent and accuracy is a mixed bag. On one hand, he’s a phenomenal deep thrower in rhythm. He regularly drops it in the bucket without needing his receivers to break stride. However, Daniels’ arm strength and accuracy are less dangerous to other parts of the field. He doesn’t always have the velocity to fit tight windows, and his accuracy in the 1-20 yard range comes and goes. Daniels’ accuracy especially falls off when he’s forced to throw out of rhythm or late in the down.

Overall, Daniels has an exciting floor as a prospect. He is a veteran-like presence in the pocket, and he’s far and away the best athlete in the class at the position. Daniels’ average arm talent and inconsistent accuracy may limit his ceiling, but it’s hard to imagine him totally flaming out. Daniels would be best in an offense that leans into his rushing ability and vertical passing, similar to Kyler Murray or Jalen Hurts.

Furthermore, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner’s athleticism comes with some apprehension, because the quarterback runs the ball like he’s a crash-test dummy and takes some wicked hits to his lanky 6’4″, 210-pound frame.

Today’s game is built on throwing the football. The Patriots can either select the class’ biggest and best threat in the passing game or hope that Daniels’ game continues to develop as it did in 2023. The latter could certainly occur, because the 23-year-old quarterback is extremely talented. Yet New England must weigh its options, and the Patriots have more than one among the incoming quarterbacks.

Step Five: Draft Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix

Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (left) and Oregon quarterback Bo Nix (right)Ian Maule/Getty Images

The draft doesn’t end in the first round, even though the opening frame receives the most attention. Starting quarterback options will be available beyond this year’s third overall selection. This juncture is where the Patriots must strike.

New England also owns this year’s 34th overall pick. Wolf and Co. have two options, both with prospects and how to proceed.

Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix are expected to land somewhere in the latter portions of the first or second round. Both are highly experienced starters who put up massive numbers for winning programs over the past two seasons. Both also have their pluses and minuses, hence why they’re not in the same conversation as the previously discussed quarterback prospects.

Penix is a left-handed gunslinger who spins the ball very well with the ability to drive throws to all three levels. Yet he’s an older prospect (turns 24 in May) with an extensive injury history (two ACL tears to the same knee) and requires tweaks to his footwork.

Nix is also an older prospect (already turned 24), who’s a good athlete and makes smart, quick decisions with uncanny accuracy when working in rhythm. Oregon’s offense was designed to take advantage of his strengths while not necessarily asking him to regularly make NFL reads and throws.

Despite some concerns, the talent is evident in both, and both present future starter upside.

The Patriots can target these two a little later in the process. What Wolf must decide is whether he can land one near the top of the second round or if it’s necessary to trade back into the first. While New England would cede assets in a trade-up, the organization will also gain the fifth-year option on the rookie deal that comes with being a first-round pick.

Penix or Nix can then use their rookie season to learn from Flacco, allow the Patriots to build further around the quarterback position and then be handed the reins, either later in the ’24 campaign or the following year.

Each of these steps is critical, but New England will have a clear plan of what it’s building toward to regain some of the clout the organization once had.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.