The Patriots reportedly view Drake Maye as a "close-to-ideal fit" for their offense and plan to take the quarterback at No. 3 if he's available.
But what if the North Carolina product is off the board when New England goes on the clock for its highest draft pick since 1993?
According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini and Chad Graff, the Patriots would remain committed to landing a signal-caller in Round 1 if the Washington Commanders select Maye. The target might not be Jayden Daniels, though, as The Athletic anticipates a potential "bidding war" between the Minnesota Vikings and the Las Vegas Raiders to trade up for the LSU product in the event he slides past No. 2.
New England reportedly would shift its focus to a QB who experienced a meteoric rise across the pre-draft process.
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"The Patriots are adamant that their No. 1 goal is to come out of the first round with one of the top three remaining quarterbacks -- namely Maye, Daniels or J.J. McCarthy of Michigan," The Athletic insiders wrote.
"So if the unlikely scenario unfolded in which Daniels dropped and the Patriots traded back, the plan would then be to try to trade back up to pick McCarthy."
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New England reportedly believes McCarthy is in "the same tier" as Daniels and Maye and deem the Michigan product worthy of a top-10 pick. The Ann Arbor roots reportedly shouldn't be overlooked either, as McCarthy sharing an alma mater with franchise legend Tom Brady might mean something to Patriots ownership.
That said, it seems like quite a bit would need to happen for the Patriots to stage a McCarthy pursuit. If Daniels lands in the nation's capital, which has been widely expected for weeks, Maye appears to be New England's preference at No. 3.
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