Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports New England selected eight players in this year’s draft. The 2024 NFL Draft is now in the books, with the Patriots selecting eight players to add to their roster. Led by Drake Maye at pick No. 3, New England prioritized investing in the offense after consecutive seasons of disappointing production on that side of the ball. Let’s get into the numbers on this year’s draft class. 1: The number of sacks that both Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson allowed last season. Each offensive lineman selected by New England gave up just a single sack in 2023. Both players kept clean sheets for most of the season. 7: The number of offensive players drafted by the Patriots. It matches their 2022 total when the team used seven of their ten selections on offense, and you have to go back to 1996 to find a draft class with more players selected on that side of the ball. Headlined by wide receiver Terry Glenn, that draft class featured eight offensive players in 13 picks. It was a group that would become better known for a pair of defensive standouts, however: Lawyer Milloy and Tedy Bruschi, New England’s second and third picks in that draft. 28: The number of passes defensive back Marcellas Dial defended at South Carolina. In three years with the Gamecocks, Dial had a habit of being around the ball. He led the team in passes defended in each of the last two seasons. HIGHLIGHTS: Patriots 6th Rd pick (180 overall) - Marcellas Dial, CB, South Carolina pic.twitter.com/Io8kqUXitW— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) April 27, 2024 34 5/8: The length of Layden Robinson’s arms in inches. Of Dane Brugler’s top 30 guards in this year’s draft, only two had longer arms than Robinson at the NFL Combine. That arm length helped him keep opposing defenders at bay in the SEC as a full-time starter the last three seasons. 37: The pick used on receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. It is the highest pick used on a wide receiver by the Patriots since they selected N’Keal Harry at pick No. 32 in 2019. In the Bill Belichick era, only two wideouts - Harry and Chad Jackson - were taken higher. 79: The number of touchdowns Drake Maye recorded in college. Maye threw for 63 touchdown passes as North Carolina, including 34 in his ACC Player of the Year campaign in 2022 as a redshirt freshman. The new Patriot quarterback also added 16 rushing scores to his total. 85: The number of yards quarterback Joe Milton threw a football as a freshman in high school. At his first 7-on-7 camp, Milton was part of a throwing competition. He beat the next best quarterback by 15 yards. When did new #Patriots QB Joe Milton III realize he had other-worldly throw strength?Says it was at his first 7-on-7 camp, where they did a throwing-distance QB Competition.
Milton, being last in line and being unsure how far he could throw it, did not believe he would win once… pic.twitter.com/YMv5YeQy1V— Zac Ventola (@NEPatriotsToday) April 28, 2024 99.9: The deep receiving grade that both Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker received from PFF last season. New England’s two receivers selected in the 2024 class both excelled down the field in 2023. On passes 20 or more yards downfield, Polk had 14 receptions for 567 yards and five touchdowns. Baker had 15 catches for 574 yards and four scores. 122: The number of receiving yards Ja’Lynn Polk had in the Sugar Bowl. Polk was Washington’s second-leading receiver as the Huskies scored 37 points against Texas en route to a Sugar Bowl win and National Championship appearance. Another Husky is off the board as Ja’Lynn Polk is selected in the 2nd round by the Patriots.
Polk had 1,191 yards in 2023, including 122 in the Sugar Bowl against Texas.
pic.twitter.com/5hX67STFMR— WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) April 26, 2024 261: The number of rushing yards tight end Jaheim Bell had for South Carolina in 2022. Bell was a dual threat for the Gamecocks, with 261 yards rushing and 231 receiving. He was a versatile weapon in college capable of making an impact regardless of how you get the football in his hands. 2013: The last year New England selected two wide receivers in the top 110 picks. Those selections were Aaron Dobson from Marshall at pick No. 59 and Josh Boyce from TCU at pick No. 102. 9,076: The number of yards Drake Maye generated in 2022 and 2023. Maye was the only quarterback at the FBS level to have more than 9,000 yards of total offense over the past two seasons. Over 1,000 of those yards came on the ground, reflecting his ability to create plays in different ways.
Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2024/4/29/24 ... ss-numbers
