This Team Reportedly Has ‘Affinity’ For Potential Patriots Draft Pick

The Patriots sit in a very powerful spot in the 2024 NFL Draft.

With the No. 3 overall pick — New England’s highest selection in three decades — the Patriots could bring in a new quarterback or another franchise-altering player. But the pick also is a highly valued asset, and a team might be compelled to send the Patriots a loaded trade offer to move up the board and draft a player they love.

One of those teams might be the Raiders. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Sunday highlighted Las Vegas as a club that could be on the quarterback market on Draft Day.

“Somebody is going to move up. I’m going to look at the Raiders,” Fowler said on “SportsCenter.” “That’s a team that could be a mover and a shaker around draft time because Antonio Pierce, the new head coach, has an affinity for Jayden Daniels, the LSU Heisman winner, because of their days at Arizona State. That’s a connection. Is it strong enough for them to move up from 13 overall to three overall to New England’s spot? That would be tough, but I think it’s on the radar at least.”

The Patriots reportedly will “most likely” use the No. 3 pick on a quarterback, which apparently is the preference of team president Jonathan Kraft. That said, New England reportedly is at least “open” to the idea of trading down, which would help bring in even more draft capital to a team that currently is rebuilding.

All told, Jerod Mayo and company have a lot to consider over the next two months.