Five 2024 Cardinals' opponents who significantly improved after NFL Draft

3.) New England Patriots

For the first time since 2000, Bill Belichick was not in the draft room for the New England Patriots. It was Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo starting things fresh during the draft for the Patriots. With having the 3rd overall pick, the Patriots had a lot of routes that they could have gone. Maybe they trade down and acquire massive draft capital, maybe they decide to stick at #3 and see who is still available. At the end of the day, the Patriots opted to stand their ground and draft UNC quarterback Drake Maye. 

The Patriots would then draft around Maye with new receivers in Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, as well as two new offensive linemen in Layden Robinson and Caedan Wallace. New England may not have any big superstars on their roster and this may be a rebuilding year. However, this draft shows that the Patriots are ready to move forward and get past the Belichick era. Arizona may not have difficulty against New England’s offense, but that Patriots defense is still one of the best in the league.