New England Patriots draft rumors in recent days have connected the franchise to a variety of different quarterbacks and trade-down scenarios. With the 2024 NFL Draft imminent, there now seems to be a clearer plan for what will happen with the third overall pick.
The Patriots know part of the decision is out of their control. After the Chicago Bears select Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Washington Commanders will follow it up minutes later by picking the highest-rated quarterback on their draft board.
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It limits New England’s options and is one of the reasons why the front office is at least open to moving down. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter also made it clear in his reporting on Monday that the Patriots aren’t satisfied with the offers currently on the table. If that doesn’t change, there appears to be a fairly clear game plan of tiered options for who the Patriots will draft at No. 3 overall before deciding if they will trade down.
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Who will the Patriots draft in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shed light on the likely Patriots draft targets in 2024. One of New England’s top insiders wrote that he would bet the Patriots take LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels if he slides past Washington and is available at the third overall pick.
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If the Commanders pick Daniels, which is the league-wide expectation, then things get interesting. Breer reports that North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy both ‘have their fans’ within the Patriots’ organization. However, if it came down to the two quarterbacks, Breer’s educated guess would be that New England keeps the pick and drafts Maye.
However, there is a third possibility. The senior NFL reporter believes that if Daniels is drafted second overall, Maye will be the No. 3 pick no matter what. That scenario includes a team like the New York Giants (sixth overall pick) or Minnesota Vikings (11th overall pick) trading up for him. If New England ultimately trades down, Breer writes that he has it on ‘good authority’ quarterback Michael Penix Jr. would then become a target for the Patriots.