It’s possible that selecting a quarterback with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft isn’t the best choice for the Patriots.
Opinions among New England fans regarding the team’s best choice in thirty years are split. There have been a lot of rumors about what the Washington Commanders will do with the second overall pick and which teams are willing to trade up for one of the top signal-callers, but head coach Jerod Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf are keeping their options open.
In our opinion, the quarterback should come first. In the NFL, it’s the most crucial position, and as the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers demonstrated, if you get that one right, everything else can work itself out. There are just two arguments against selecting a quarterback with the third overall pick.
Complete the roster
This offseason, Mayo admitted that New England’s experience with free agency wasn’t particularly successful. Calvin Ridley was notably absent, and the Patriots passed on other players who would have been good targets. Was Ridley and other players overpaid? Yes, but there isn’t much evidence to suggest that the Patriots are any better than their squad from the previous season going into the 2024 NFL Draft.
It appears as though New England is counting on each pick it makes in the current draft to be a home run. Adding more pieces to the roster to create a truly cohesive unit might be a better strategy to increase success rates.
It might take more than three first-round selections to trade out of the third overall pick, and it would be extremely difficult to turn down an offer from a team. You take the enormous haul of selections if there’s even the slightest doubt about the ability of Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, or J.J. McCarthy to succeed at the next level.
Just how good are these guys?
Regarding the potential for skepticism regarding the best quarterback prospects, observers will be inundated with opinions regarding Daniels, Maye, and McCarthy’s NFL readiness. Even though everyone is watching the same movie, their conclusions are different. Daniels demonstrated exceptional arm strength and speed while at LSU, but is he too small to handle the rough and tumble of the NFL? Though he may have the best arm in the class and was a playmaker, is Maye too inconsistent? Scouts adore McCarthy’s toughness and his success at Michigan, but how much of that translates to the NFL?
In the past ten years, there hasn’t been a quarterback draft class where every signal-caller chosen in the first round has been deemed a success. What happens if Caleb Williams and the No. 2 pick are selected before New England gets the odd man out?
As previously stated, there are a lot of gaps on this roster that need to be filled. The Patriots may choose to trade down to better assemble a team that can accommodate a young quarterback, or they may choose to address another need at the third pick spot. It’s possible that McCarthy, Daniels, or Maye are not that good, in which case the Patriots would be better off selecting a quarterback on Day 2 or Day 3 of the NFL Draft. New England could consider taking a chance on the intriguing prospect Spencer Rattler. In the later rounds, Joe Milton III may also prove to be a steal due to his high upside.
The class of 2019 isn’t expected to be all that strong, but anything can happen and there might be a standout player, in which case those additional first-round selections would be extremely valuable. Although selecting a quarterback in the second or third round would not put as much pressure on the Patriots as selecting one in the third round would.
