Report On Commanders’ Draft Choice Narrows Patriots’ Decision

The Commanders hold a lot of power with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and it leaves the Patriots playing the wait-and-see game for which quarterback prospect they can pick.

It’s a reality New England head coach Jerod Mayo understood, and Washington’s been tight-lipped publicly on which signal-caller prospect it prefers. ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed Jayden Daniels is the preference. Multiple mock drafts think Drake Maye is the pick. And NFL executives believe J.J. McCarthy could be an option, too.

FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano on Friday reported that multiple sources told him they don’t believe Maye will make it past the Commanders at No. 2. Those sources believe the interest in Daniels and McCarthy simply are “smokescreens.”

It’s entirely possible that interest in Maye also could be a smokescreen given there are multiple teams who highly covet the North Carolina product. But if Washington will draft Maye, that leaves Daniels or McCarthy for the Patriots. New England has done its homework on Daniels, but it also has looked into the Michigan product, which director of scouting Eliot Wolf reportedly is “pushing hard” for. The pair of QB prospects will visit Foxboro, Mass. this month for pre-draft visits.

Things always can change, but the different rumors on what the Commanders will do with the second overall pick show why they will be the team to watch in the 2024 NFL Draft.