Patriots Could Follow 2021 Dolphins’ Plan If They Trade No. 3 Pick In Draft

It would take a lot of guts for the Patriots to trade the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. But it might also be the best thing in the long run for New England.

The Patriots are drafting higher than they have in 30 years. They have an obvious need at quarterback. Three QBs are considered worth taking with one of those three selections. Seems like a potential no-brainer, right?

Perhaps. However, the Patriots have plenty of holes on their roster that must be filled. This rebuild might take more than a year. And what if they don’t like Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels, the two signal-callers presumed to go after Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall?

Trading the pick might ultimately be the Patriots’ best play. That’s still easier said than done, though. They need someone who likes the remaining quarterback more than them. New England would need to be blown away by the offer if the Patriots also like that QB at No. 3. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote Monday about the trade market for those top three picks, and he gave his insider’s view on how it could play out.

“Now, my guess would be the Bears stay where they are and take Williams at 1,” Breer wrote for SI.com. “Washington, then, would probably have the ability to move its pick, though my guess would be the Commanders probably stick and take a quarterback, too. And they could do that soon, in selling another team the choice between Maye and Daniels. It’s a little trickier for New England, given that, if you try to move the pick before draft day, then the trading team would have to be comfortable with all three quarterbacks. But Miami pulled it off in 2021.”

The Dolphins accelerated their own rebuild in 2021 when they moved out of that No. 3 pick, as Breer mentioned. Here’s what Miami was able to squeeze out of the 49ers.

San Franisco acquired: 2021 No. 3 pick
Miami acquired: 2021 No. 12 pick, 2022 first-round pick, 2022 third-round pick, 2023 first-round pick

Essentially, to move back nine picks, Miami picked up two futures firsts and a third. It turned out to be a shrewd move. San Francisco took Trey Lance, who threw a total of 102 passes before the Niners traded him to Dallas ahead of the 2023 season for a fourth-round pick.

Of course, the Dolphins weren’t done wheeling and dealing. Miami turned around and moved back up to No. 6, landing the Eagles’ 2021 first-round pick in exchange for the 12th pick, a fourth-rounder and a 2022 first-round pick.

Every situation is different, and strictly comparing the 2021 Dolphins to the 2024 Patriots isn’t an exact science. Miami already had its supposed franchise quarterback after taking Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick in 2020. The Dolphins then used that No. 6 from Philly on Jaylen Waddle. Then they really went all in, trading one of those 2022 first-round picks to the Kansas City Chiefs for Tyreek Hill to give them one of the best receiving corps in the league. When healthy, Tagovailoa and that fleet of weapons have been very effective in Mike McDaniel’s system.

That’s kind of where the comps go awry. The Patriots have a defensive first-year head coach in Jerod Mayo, and an executive, Eliot Wolf, who might not be keen on investing significant draft capital on certain positions. For example, his father, Ron Wolf, didn’t typically draft wideouts up top, nor did the Green Bay Packers, one of the teams for whom Wolf worked before coming to New England.

Regardless, the Patriots have a tough decision to make and obviously should look at all of their options before making a final decision.

What do you think? Should the Patriots stand pat and draft a quarterback at No. 3? Or should they try to cash in as the Dolphins did in 2021? Leave your comments below.