Three best available players for the Patriots on Day 2 of 2024 NFL Draft

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft has officially ended, but the New England Patriots are just getting started. Day 2 is up next and the Patriots still have some very important picks to fill crucial needs on the roster. 

The Patriots got quarterback Drake Maye in the first round. 

Let's dive into some of the top players still on the board that make sense for the Patriots. 

WR Adonai Mitchell 

Now that the Patriots have their quarterback, they need to build the offense around him. And with an early pick in the second round, they have an opportunity to bring in a key wide receiver. 

On A to Z Sports' James Foster’s Big Board Ranking, the Texas star is 15th overall and the 4th best ranked receiver. 

Here are Mitchell's strengths and weakness (via his A to Z Sports draft profile):

Strengths

• Route Tempo: Possesses both the fluidity and understanding to change his gait and maintain or gain leverage
• Body Control: Contortionist that elevates and expands like a slinky while holding firm in the air
• Catch Radius: No pass is off limits given his length, body control and agility 

Areas of Improvement-Concerns

• Contested Catch: Needs to use his frame to box out smaller defenders and be more aggressive in his 1v1’s
• Confidence in Hands: Too many body catches. Know he has sticky mits, just needs to trust himself
• Consistency: Snap-to-snap and game-to-game focus needs improvement

WR Ladd McConkey

Georgia's Ladd McConkey is another solid option at wide receiver for the Patriots.

He knows what it's like to win, coming from Georgia and has the ability to add value to the current Patriots receiver room. 

Here are McConkey's strengths and weakness (via his A to Z Sports draft profile):

Strengths: 

• Route Running
  Excellent ability to drop his hips on return routes, change his pattern in releases and run a diverse route tree
• Quickness
  Suddenness off the line of scrimmage and in and out of breaks shines in the short and intermediate parts of the field
• Ball Tracking
• Tracks deep throws over his shoulder with ease. Can play with late hands and manipulate comers with his hand-eye coordination 

Cons:

• Deep Speed
  Struggles to generate separation on a vertical plane. Can’t close cushions or blow by press
• Physicality
• He struggles to get off press and break through the hands of physical corners. Wispy frame hurts blocking ability
• Versatility
  Body type and skill set primarily lends him to a slot-only role. Lacks the physical traits to be a boundary X or flanker 

OT Kingsley Suamataia

The Patriots are in need of an offensive tackle and BYU's Kingsley Suamataia is still available heading into Day 2.

Suamataia will be great for the Patriots with his run-blocking ability and has proved that he is tough to get around. He just needs to work on his speed. 

Here are Suamataia's strengths and weakness (via his A to Z Sports draft profile): 

Strengths

• Play Strength: Thick frame that generates force from his legs into his hips and upper body
• Range: Meets the parameters for length and is a tall task to work around for edge rushers
• Functional in the Run Game: Decent enough athleticism to be used in a zone scheme or put on a convoy

Areas of Improvement-Concerns

• Tad Sluggish: Everything feels like it’s in slow motion. Takes a while for the mass to get going
• Late Hands: Let’s defenders beat him after losing at the junction point
• Reaction: Doesn’t possess the footspeed to mirror secondary moves and counters