The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books, and there were plenty of fireworks on Thursday night.
None of the chaos came out of Foxborough, though. The Patriots didn’t trade out of the top three, and they also didn’t trade back into the first round. Instead, they sat exactly where they were and drafted Drake Maye out of UNC.
New England’s major positions of need heading into the night were quarterback, wide receiver, and offensive tackle. As it happens, the first round was huge for all three positions. Six QBs, WRs and eight OTs all went off the board within the first 32 picks, part of a record 23 offensive players taken in the first round.