The Patriots are believed to be among the teams contemplating selecting a quarterback with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, but could New England go a different route and take a wide receiver instead?
In his latest mock draft, Daniel Jeremiah had the Patriots selecting Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State instead of LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.
If the Patriots were to pick a wideout, they might consider taking the NFL Draft guru’s favorite player.
“I’m sure we’ll get to Rome (Odunze) and some other receiver discussions later, but he is my favorite player in the draft. I’m a huge fan of his,” Jeremiah said Thursday during his pre-NFL Scouting Combine conference call, per league-provided transcript.
It’s no secret the Patriots need a wide receiver and a quarterback, and picking Odunze could elevate the offense in New England.
“I like big, fast, physical, smart, tough guys who can go play above the rim and who have some route polish to them. As a player, I love what he has from a skill set standpoint. I think all of it translates,” Jeremiah said. “I think when you look at big games in the NFL, especially going to the postseason, I think some of that space disappears. You have to have guys who can win with bodies around them. He can do that.”
Jeremiah continued: “That’s not to say he can’t run. You’ll see it when he gets to the combine; he can run, too. There’s that side of it. I love there’s a bounce and an energy to him that I love. I love the fact that even though you might have to coach some of this out of him, he hates running out of bounds. You’ll see the competitiveness in him. When he is on the sideline, he tries to get everything he can get. He is a real, real competitive football player.”
Landing Odunze would give the Patriots a solid wideout who would make an immediate impact for Alex Van Pelt’s new offense.
The Washington Huskies receiver recorded 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023.
Even though Odunze is Jeremiah’s favorite player in the draft, he said if he made the pick for New England, he would take a quarterback over any other position.
