The Patriots make a trade up the board and rebuild their offense in this new mock draft.

The Super Bowl contestants have been decided, so now is the perfect time for some mock drafting. After doing a mid-season mock back in November, now it’s time for the first seven-round offseason simulation.

The biggest issue for the New England Patriots, of course, is their quarterback position. They get aggressive making sure they add their guy.

(*denotes unofficial selection)

Round 1

TRADE: Patriots trade 1-3, 4-103*, and a 2025 1st to Chicago Bears for 1-1: Right now, it’s unclear what the Bears are going to decide to do at the quarterback position. They might move forward with fourth-year man Justin Fields, a first-round selection in 2021, or start from scratch in tandem with a new offensive coordinator.

Nonetheless, it was interesting to see the team send this tweet out over the weekend:

In this scenario, I have them holding onto Fields and thinking that they can make it work. Hiring Shane Waldron, who resurrected Geno Smith’s career, could be an indication of them wanting to do just that.

If so, they are going to want Marvin Harrison Jr. to give Fields the best weapon possible. And in order to get him, they need to stay in the top 3, which is why this trade makes sense from their perspective. Yes, they are getting back fewer picks than if they had moved out of the top 5, but then they would almost certainly miss on Harrison, too.

The Patriots, in turn, traded their first round pick next year, but they get the guy who they believe can be a true franchise quarterback. It’s a win-win.

1-1: QB Caleb Williams (USC): The Patriots need a restart at the quarterback position. The NFL is a quarterback league, and they have been lacking in that department since Tom Brady left after the 2019 season. Getting Caleb Williams immediately makes their offense more explosive, and gives them a QB that has a rocket arm but also can make plays with his legs.

Out of all of the prospects at the position this year, Williams looks to be the best bet to be a star in the NFL. If you believe you can acquire a potential top-10 QB, you have to be aggressive and go get him. That’s exactly what the Patriots do here.

Round 2

TRADE: Patriots trade 2-34 to Tennessee Titans for 2-38, 5-144*, and a 2025 3rd: The Patriots need help at multiple positions on offense, and it is probably going to require more than a one-year rebuild to get them back into a competitive position. More capital is key to speed that process up, especially after the first-round trade.

The Titans got aggressive in this mock as well, and moved up for Adonai Mitchell from Texas. The Patriots were happy to oblige, picking up a fifth-rounder and a 2025 third-round selection to drop four spots.

2-38: WR Xavier Legette (South Carolina): The Patriots hit on a receiver in the sixth round last season. With DeMario Douglas a small, quick pass catcher, however, they also need a big guy to complement him — someone who can bring some real physicality to the position, and still run like the wind. Xavier Legette fits the bill for that.

Legette had a heck of a year at South Carolina in 2023, and he showed off not only the ability to make tough catches, but also that he can pull away from a defense. Putting a guy with the size and speed of Legette on the field with Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, and a free agent signing, would make for some very solid weapons around the Patriots’ new franchise quarterback.

Round 3

TRADE: Patriots trade 3-68 and a 2025 6th to Los Angeles Chargers for 3-69 and 5-138*: The Chargers wanted to move up to take an offensive player in front of the Patriots, and they gave up a later-round pick in this year’s draft to do it (in combination with a sixth-rounder next year thrown in). The Patriots, who moved their fourth to move up for Caleb Williams, now have the ammo to move back into the fourth round later to take a player if they so choose.

3-69: CB Caelen Carson (Wake Forest): While everyone is focused on the offensive side of the ball, and rightfully so, the Patriots have some needs on defense as well. Cornerback, and specifically outside cornerback is one of the bigger ones. Their depth chart is a little thin at the top, and there are questions about how they are going to move forward at the position outside of their top 2, Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones.

Caelen Carson is a guy that has the size to play outside corner at the next level, offers quick feet, and is pretty good in zone and in man coverage as well. He’s not the most impressive athlete, and doesn’t have a ton of great counting stats from college, but he’s a solid tackler, and does pretty much everything above average. He should be a good fit for what the Patriots want at the outside corner spot.

Round 4

TRADE: Patriots trade 5-135* and 5-138* to New York Giants for 4-107*: The Patriots have some needs that they haven’t yet filled on the offensive side of the ball, and they use two of their three fifth round picks to move up into the fourth round to fill one of them.

4-107*: OT Blake Fisher (Notre Dame): Notre Dame had a very impressive offensive line this year, and the star is projected early first-rounder Joe Alt at left tackle. Fisher, who played right tackle, is a very solid prospect as well, though.

He has some impressive traits, but needs a little bit of polish. He’s a beast in the run game, and plays with a physical edge, but also is a smart player who is constantly doing the right thing when facing twists and stunts. The Patriots need skilled tackles, and Fisher, while he played on the right side in college, might develop into a guy they can rely on to start for them on the other side as well.

Round 5

5:144*: TE Ben Sinnott (Kansas State): More offense! The Patriots need an overhaul of their offense, and they need some real weapons in the passing game and at tight end in particular: with the exception of late-season pickup Le’Michael Pettway they have no TEs under contract for 2024. There’s a hope that Hunter Henry comes back, but, even if he does, the Patriots are going to need some help at the position. Enter Ben Sinnott.

Sinnott isn’t some physical freak, but he has the size, speed, and athleticism to make an impact early in his career. The Patriots drafted two players at the position in 2020 that didn’t really fit the mold of a prototypical NFL tight end, and here they get one that does. The hope, of course, is that it works out much better this time around.

Round 6

6-181*: RB Dylan Laube (New Hampshire): The Patriots are in need of a true receiving back, and Laube fits the bill. He had 117 catches over the last two seasons, and some scouts believe he can run with the receivers if they need extra bodies there. He’s a pretty good back, but the receiving is what stands out about him. The Patriots would be excited to get a guy like him — one who went to a local school as an added bonus.

However, there is a chance that Laube will not be available this late after the Senior Bowl. I wanted him on my mock while I could still get him here.

Round 7

7-228*: DT Evan Anderson (Florida Atlantic): Anderson is a true nose tackle. He is 6-foot-3 and 356 pounds, and is strong at the point of attack to help stuff the run. He also has some burst to him. He is very raw as a pass rusher, and will require some coaching, but he possesses the traits to develop into a guy who might be able to push the pocket a bit in the middle.

The Patriots are already strong inside, but when you find guys this big who can move, especially this late, you have to take them.

So, that does it for my first mock draft of the offseason. A whole bunch of weapons for what should be a new-look offense, and some depth pieces for an already solid defense.

What do you think, though? Please head down to the comment section to discuss.