The New England Patriots are staring right down the barrel of what promises to be one of the NFL’s toughest and most grueling rebuilds.
With Bill Belichick long gone, and many more questions than answers on the roster, this week’s NFL Draft is the most important in decades for New England.
Sitting with the #3 overall pick, most people assume the Patriots will draft a quarterback.
With Caleb Williams a virtual-lock to be taken first overall by the Chicago Bears and Jayden Daniels considered to be the favorite to be taken next by the Washington Commanders, the Patriots figure to have their choice between Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy.
While Maye has long been considered top-three pick, McCarthy has seen his draft stock sky-rocket in recent weeks.
Some evaluators are extremely high on him. While others see him as more of a late first-round talent.
With Belichick gone, Eliot Wolf is now calling the shots in New England. Of course, he would love to draft a franchise quarterback right off the bat to kick-start his tenure as the top shot-caller in the organization.
However, he also made it clear that the third pick is available – for the right price…
Wolf is said to be seeking an “unprecedented deal” in exchange for the #3 pick.
With McCarthy and Maye (or Daniels) assumed to be available when the Patriots hit the clock, there will certainly be teams who at the very least explore the possibility of moving up.
The Minnesota Vikings (#11), Denver Broncos (#12) and Las Vegas Raiders (#13) are all closely monitoring the situation.
All three would love to trade up. Same can possibly be said for the New York Giants, who are only a few spots behind New England at #6.
Of course, Wolf and the Patriots want to maintain all the leverage they can. If they are to trade such a valuable pick in what is considered the best quarterback class in recent memory, they want to make sure they get a haul in return.
With many holes on the roster, it might be a wise move for Wolf and the Patriots to pick up as many assets as they can.
However, the nightmare for them would be if Maye and/or McCarthy turn into a generational quarterback. They don’t want to be the foolish team that passed up on true greatness for extra draft picks.
It all comes down to what Wolf and the Patriots think of the top quarterbacks. Do they have any of them graded as true “can’t-miss” prospects? … If so, they would really have to be BLOWN AWAY in a trade proposal to even consider it.
What are your thoughts on the Patriots?
Should they hold onto the #3 pick and draft a quarterback? … Assuming Williams and Daniels are gone, should they draft Maye or McCarthy?
How do you personally have the top quarterbacks ranked?
To even consider trading the #3 pick, what type of deal would have to be proposed to the Patriots???