Patriots 2024 Draft Rumors: ‘Most Likely Scenario’ For First Round

Eliot Wolf last week made it clear the Patriots are “open for business” when it comes to the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

That doesn’t mean New England is actively looking to trade down, though.

One of the most important drafts in Patriots franchise history is almost here, with the opening round set for Thursday evening in Detroit. Four days before the all-important benchmark, ESPN’s Mike Reiss shed light on which way New England is trending with so many different routes at its disposal.

“The most likely scenario, per sources, remains that the Patriots will stay put at No. 3 and select LSU’s Jayden Daniels, North Carolina’s Drake Maye or Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy,” Reiss wrote.

“Simply put, as one Patriots source said late last week, ‘you can’t win without a quarterback.’ (Jerod) Mayo and some top decision-makers have privately acknowledged that their legacies will be tied to whatever they decide at quarterback.”

Wolf, Mayo and owner Robert Kraft keeping the door open for a potential first-round trade was standard business practice. NFL teams don’t want to tip their hand before draft night, and tunnel vision that’s too fixated on a particular result could lead to negligence.

But let’s call a spade a spade: The Patriots desperately need a quarterback and they’re poised to land one of the best in the class. So, the Foxboro Faithful shouldn’t be the least bit surprised if a signal-caller’s name is announced after the Chicago Bears and the Washington Commanders make their picks.