Patriots Could Be Thinking ‘What If?’ After Jayden Daniels’ Breakout

Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season proved to be a significant juncture for rookie quarterbacks.

The slate kicked off with the debut of Drake Maye, who was put on mop-up duty by the New England Patriots in their blowout road loss to the New York Jets. The bookend was supplied by fellow 2024 first-rounder Jayden Daniels, who was sensational in the Washington Commanders' upset win over the Bengals in Cincinnati.

It's probably not fair to compare Daniels and Maye at this point. As NESN.com's Keagan Stiefel pointed out on the latest episode of "Foxboro Rush," those signal-callers entered the league in different situations. The reigning Heisman Trophy was always going to be Washington's Week 1 starter, while New England has practiced patience with the North Carolina product.

All of that said, Stiefel couldn't help but think about the path to the 2024 draft as Daniels put on a show at Paycor Stadium.

"On Monday night, he (Daniels) was unbelievable -- as good as I've seen a rookie quarterback play in a single game," Stiefel said. "When I say that, it made me think, 'If the Patriots didn't win that game in December -- they didn't have to go and beat the Broncos.' Maybe they have the No. 2 pick."

It's a fascinating scenario to think about, as the Patriots reportedly would have selected Daniels over Maye if they owned the No. 2 pick back in the spring. And New England's outlook on the 2024 season probably would have been different if it brought in Daniels, who arguably was the most pro-ready of the top QB prospects this year.

There's ultimately not much use in dwelling on the past, and you have to work with who's in your building. But if Daniels ends up becoming the next great dual-threat quarterback and Maye doesn't meet expectations, New England fans will look back on the winter of 2023 with major frustration.