Mel Kiper 2-Round Mock Draft: New England Patriots Pick Quarterback, Receiver

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper released a two-round mock that predicts the New England Patriots will use their first two picks on North Carolina QB Drake Maye and Florida State WR Keon Coleman.

Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) rushes with the ball for a touchdown breaking / Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA

Install the franchise quarterback and provide him with a top target from Day 1.

ESPN's Mel Kiper has pitched a scenario where the New England Patriots draft their new quarterback-receiver duo at No. 3 and No. 34 overall.

In his April 10 two-round mock draft, Kiper predicts the Patriots will stay put and use their first two picks as scheduled while upgrading the offense on two fronts.

Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) rushes with the ball for a touchdown breaking / Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA

With quarterbacks Caleb Williams going to the Chicago Bears and Jayden Daniels landing with the Washington Commanders, New England settles for North Carolina's Drake Maye at No. 3 overall. The Patriots are projected to return to the Atlantic Coast Conference well by nabbing Florida State receiver Keon Coleman with the second pick in Round 2.

Maye, who showed the ability to make the tight-window throws, made 26 starts for UNC over the past two seasons. After totaling 45 touchdowns en-route to the 2022 ACC Player of the Year award, Maye's statistical production dipped slightly in 2023. Still managing to earn an All-ACC Second Team selection, the North Carolina native threw for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns while being intercepted nine times over a 12-game sample.

Initially projected as a first-rounder, Coleman's draft stock has slipped since he ran the second-slowest 40-yard dash (4.61) amongst receivers at the NFL Combine. After transferring to Florida State, the former Michigan State starter caught 50 passes for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns over 12 games with the Seminoles. The 6-3 pass-catcher also returned 25 punts for 300 total yards.

Kiper Writes:

3. Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
"... Evaluating quarterbacks is hard, but I have a top-10 grade on Maye, who is an elite deep-ball thrower.

New England largely brought back all of its key free agents this offseason, but it hasn't added much to an offense that ranked 29th in yards per play (4.6) last season. Drafting Maye is a start, but the Pats still have a long way to go to compete for the AFC East title." 

34. Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
"New England's depth chart at receiver needs to be beefed up if quarterback Drake Maye -- whom I projected to the Patriots at No. 3 -- is going to succeed. The Pats ranked 29th in receiving yards by receivers (1,909) last season. Coleman doesn't have great speed, but he can win contested catches with his 6-3 frame. He had 11 touchdown catches last season, five of which came on fade routes."