The 2024 NFL draft is a little over a month away, and it’s becoming more and more likely that North Carolina’s Drake Maye will be the last of the top-three quarterback prospects on the board.
After shipping Justin Fields off in a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chicago Bears likely locked themselves into drafting Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall.
Meanwhile, the Washington Commanders are likely eyeing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 2. He fits the prototypical quarterback of a Kliff Kingsbury offense, and the team might have already tipped their plans when signing a similar style veteran backup in Marcus Mariota.
That would leave Maye as the likely option waiting for the Patriots at No. 3.
“I figure it’s 99 percent that Caleb Williams is a Bear now, and that’s been the case for a few weeks, unless something goes really wrong. …That’s set in stone,” NFL insider Albert Breer said, when appearing on NBC Sports Boston’s Arbella Early Edition. “And the more I’ve asked around, the more it seems like Jayden Daniels is probably the leader in the clubhouse to be a Commander. It does match up to what Kingsbury has looked for in his quarterbacks over the years.”
The Patriots will likely be tempted by trade offers to move down, but it would make more sense for them to stand pat and get their quarterback of the future.
This is a rare draft where all of the top prospects could make a case for going No. 1 overall. An opportunity to draft one of those players is rare.
New England has already signed veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, and Bailey Zappe is also still on the roster. Both of those players are capable of starting if there are still serious concerns with putting a rookie under center in the offense, which still needs extensive work.
The hard part is securing a franchise quarterback, and unless they choose to throw it away, the Patriots will have an opportunity to do that on draft night.