As the regular season neared its end, many Patriots fans felt New England needed to finish with a top-two draft pick. Without it, the Patriots seemingly wouldn't be able to draft quarterbacks Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.
But the reality is it was all about landing a top-three pick. With it, New England would be in control of arguably the top prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft: Marvin Harrison Jr.
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Assuming quarterbacks are taken with the top two picks, Harrison would be available to the Patriots at No. 3 overall. That's a significant asset, as teams lusting for receivers could engage in a bidding war for one of the best wideout prospects in years.
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Of course, the Patriots also could take quarterback Jayden Daniels with the third pick. Some evaluators also believe Maye could slip to New England. The Patriots even could be well-positioned to trade the third pick to the Chicago Bears and move up to No. 1 overall.
Either way, they're in a "powerful position," according to Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard.
"Could the Patriots be in a powerful position with the third overall pick? That was the feeling among execs in Mobile," Bedard wrote Sunday. " 'Somebody is going to see Marvin Harrison Jr. as the final piece and come up for him, but they might go past the Patriots to 2,' said one exec."
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Ultimately, New England should do whatever it takes to come out of this draft with its new franchise quarterback. It's not every day you own a top-three pick in a draft loaded with high-end QB prospects.
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But Jerod Mayo and company also are wielding a major chess piece in Harrison. They could use him to move around the draft board in multiple ways. Or they simply could stand pat and select the best receiver prospect in a generation.
It's a win-win situation for the Patriots, even without a top-two pick.
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
