Patriots reportedly have one dream scenario for first round of draft

The New England Patriots have every intention of landing a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but their ideal scenario may still involve a big trade.

Chad Graff and Dianna Russini of The Athletic published a story on Wednesday detailing the Patriots’ preferences heading into the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday. Caleb Williams is going to be taken first overall by the Chicago Bears. If Jayden Daniels goes No. 2 to the Washington Commanders, the Patriots reportedly plan to stay put and draft Drake Maye.

The Patriots view Maye as “a close-to-ideal fit” for the offense they want to implement, according to Graff and Russini. De facto general manager Eliot Wolf also feels that the UNC star has the ideal physical makeup and athleticism of a modern NFL quarterback.

Things could change significantly for the Patriots if the Commanders select Maye. Should Jayden Daniels be available at No. 3, at least two teams — the Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders — would likely want New England’s pick. That could create a scenario where the Patriots can trade back, acquire additional draft picks to address other needs, and then trade back up to get Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.

Graff and Russini report that the Patriots view McCarthy as being in a similar tier to Maye and Daniels and believe the Wolverines star is worthy of a top-10 pick.

A lot would need to fall perfectly into place for the Patriots to make multiple trades and still land McCarthy. The most likely outcome is that the Commanders take Daniels and New England drafts Maye. There is another surprise team that is said to be high on Maye, but the cost of moving into the top five of the draft is probably too prohibitive.