New England Patriots have gigantic presence at Jayden Daniels' LSU Pro Day; Smokescreen or genuine interest?

Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Now that Mac Jones has been shipped off to Jacksonville, there aren’t any doubts about the New England Patriots having a new starting quarterback in 2024. It may even be Jayden Daniels. Sure, Bailey Zappe could overtake the role, and new free agency signee Jacoby Brissett could very well become the starter in New England again too. But Daniels has a far higher ceiling.

Yet, before we can even discuss Daniels’ potential with the Patriots, first the front office has to evaluate the Heisman-winning dual threat, and there’s no better opportunity than during LSU’s Pro Day on Wednesday.

It turns out, the Patriots are very interested in getting an in-person evaluation of Daniels, so much so that New England has sent nine members of it’s front office to the Bayou.

The Patriots have 9 (!) guys in attendance at LSU QB Jayden Daniels' Pro Day: Eliot Wolf, Jerod Mayo, Matt Groh, Pat Stewart, Alonzo Highsmith, Cam Williams, Alex Van Pelt, Ben McAdoo and TC McCartney.

Patriots contingent will travel to Chapel Hill for Drake Maye's Pro Day next.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 27, 2024

Of course, while Daniels is the biggest name on the field, teams are also using this opportunity to get a closer look at star wide receiver Malik Nabers, who some feel is the best overall player in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Yet, the Patriots do need a new quarterback, and sending nine team employees to Louisiana is a heavy investment in time and money. But does it mean anything?

There’s really no way to know. Now that Bill Belichick isn’t making the final decisions on prospects and roster moves, we’re seeing Patriots director of scouting, Eliot Wolf, take control. Yet, he’s never been an NFL GM either, meaning there’s really no history to look back on or any trends to study.

Ultimately, the Patriots could be sending nine people to evaluate Daniels because they’re still genuinely weighing whether to select him with the third overall pick (if he’s there) or deciding if they should trade down with another QB-needy team desperate for change like the Vikings.

Or, like most of the draft reports we hear this time of year, it could all be a gigantic smokescreen. Only the Patriots know the truth for now, but in just under a month, the fans will uncover the answers too.