With the Chicago Bears taking Caleb Williams and the Washington Commanders saying they’re holding onto the second overall pick, it seems like the 2024 NFL Draft officially begins with pick No. 3 Thursday night.
New England owns that pick, and the Patriots could certainly use a new franchise quarterback. A report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss over the weekend said it might take an “unprecedented” deal to get New England to trade down.
However, new intel from Dianna Russini at The Athletic indicates the Pats might be more open to moving down than anticipated.
“The New England Patriots are listening and taking calls from teams looking to move into 3,” Russini tweeted Monday. “While GM Eliot Wolf is running point, I’m told Patriots’ President Jonathan Kraft is heavily involved in the decision making.”
The next question becomes, who would be willing to trade up to No. 3? The New York Giants (picking sixth), Minnesota Vikings (picking 11th) and Denver Broncos (picking 12th) all reportedly have varying degrees of interest in drafting a signal caller, so it would depend on both their willingness to part with assets to get one and if the one they want is available.
The Bears are essentially locked into USC’s Williams at No. 1, with LSU’s Jayden Daniels likely next up at No. 2 to the Commanders. If it plays out like that, that would leave UNC’s Drake Maye and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy as the top two options for a team picking third.