New England added eight rookies in this year’s draft.

The New England Patriots’ 2024 draft class is official. Throughout the weekend, director of scouting Eliot Wolf stayed true to his word in an attempt to weaponize the Patriots offense and used six of the team’s seven draft selections on that side of the football.

But among the eight total selections, which is the most underrated? The Pats Pulpit crew weighs in.

Most underrated draft pick

Brian Hines: WR Ja’Lynn Polk. Despite being a high second-round pick, Polk seems to be sliding under the radar. He may not be the flashiest player without a blazing 40-time or elite size, but he’s a damn good football player. It’s hard to envision Polk not being a useful player at the next level, especially paired with a quarterback in Drake Maye who’s skillsets play off each other perfectly. Tight end Jaheim Bell also drew some consideration here.

Bernd Buchmasser: OT Caedan Wallace. Caedan who? That was probably a wide-spread reaction to the Patriots’ third-round pick, and to a degree it’s understandable. Wallace was projected to get drafted far later than he did, and was an under-the-radar player at offensive tackle after exclusively playing on the right side at Penn State. Make no mistake, though, Wallace is an intriguing prospect – one the Patriots feel very highly about as a future left tackle.

Matt St. Jean: TE Jaheim Bell. I had Bell as an early day three grade, and the Patriots got him with their final pick. He won’t wow you as a blocker, but he’s explosive with the ball in his hands and a versatile piece in the backfield. I’m very excited to see how Alex Van Pelt uses him.

Pat Lane: CB Marcellas Dial. The Patriots had a great defense last year, but they have a need in the secondary. Getting a player that might help there could be huge. Dial seems to be a guy that can make the transition to deep safety, and, if he does, he could make a big impact as early as this season.

In addition to looking at the most underrated pick, we also discussed who our favorite selections were.

Favorite draft pick

Brian Hines: QB Drake Maye. I remember watching North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs in preparation for last year’s draft and kept being drawn to the quarterback. Since then, Maye has been my favorite quarterback prospect in this year’s class. He was the easy — and right — decision at No. 3 to give New England the potential quarterback that can bring them back into contention.

Bernd Buchmasser: QB Drake Maye. Yes, this is probably a boring answer. Here’s the thing, though: playing it boring was the right choice for the Patriots at No. 3 overall in this year’s draft. They could have traded out, or they could have gone after another player. What they did instead is select a player at the most important position in the game with immense potential. Time will tell whether or not Maye will live up to his draft status, but his selection is giving the team something it has lacked recently: hope.

Matt St. Jean: QB Drake Maye. I’m keeping this one simple. Drake Maye has the potential to be New England’s quarterback for next decade or more. He has every tool needed to be a successful quarterback in the NFL in 2024. I’m glad the Patriots didn’t overthink this and just took the best player on the board.

Pat Lane: QB Drake Maye. I don’t know how you could possibly have a different answer. The entire draft hinges on him being great. If he becomes a great QB, it almost doesn’t matter what the other players do.

Who are your picks for favorite and most underrated Patriots draft pick? Leave a vote below and head to the comment section to further discuss the selection.