Jerod Mayo Believes Bill Belichick Would Have Done This With No. 3 Pick

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo saw Bill Belichick do this countless times in the NFL draft.

The legendary head coach even did it prior to selecting Mayo 10th overall in 2008.

And Mayo believes that if Belichick was still in charge of the Patriots’ football operations, there would have been a good chance of New England moving out of the No. 3 pick.

“With Bill, we probably would have traded back to get more picks,” Mayo told NFL Media’s Cameron Wolfe. “Our path for so long has been accumulating more picks because it was our process. And we still believe in that. But we also believe when you’re at a position at No. 3, you have to get it right and get a cornerstone player.”

Mayo added: “Like Bill, I believe in draft-and-develop long-term. It’s always good to have a quarterback on a rookie deal. At the same time, I don’t want to get into the game of, ‘I really like this guy, let me trade back three picks to pick something up.’ No, just take him. If we feel like he’s an impact player, then take him.”

That’s what the Patriots’ new regime headed by de facto general manager Eliot Wolf did this year. They reportedly weren’t swayed to trade the third overall pick despite offers on the table and took North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, who was a top-three consensus QB in the draft along with Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels.

Belichick wasn’t high on the Patriots drafting Maye when he provided his instant analysis on draft night. Belichick saw Maye as “very talented,” but critiqued the footwork of the 21-year-old.

The Patriots obviously are no longer relying on Belichick to make decisions for them and clearly are trying to do things differently than the previous two-plus decades.

Drafting Maye with the third pick perhaps deviated from what Belichick would have done, but it’s also how Mayo, Wolf and company will be judged now. That isn’t lost on Mayo.

“Our legacy will be defined by and tied to the player who we draft at (No.) 3,” Mayo told Wolfe. “I know I asked the fans for patience. But they won’t give me patience. I’m good with it. We’re ready for the challenge.”