Patriots
The Patriots have been linked as a possible trade suitor for the Vikings if Minnesota moves up the draft order.
Ever since the Vikings added a second first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft earlier in March, it’s been heavily speculated that they’re looking to trade up in order to get one of the top quarterback prospects.
As the Patriots have been linked to be a possible suitor for the Vikings in a trade-up scenario, it’s unclear which of the top quarterback prospects Minnesota might be targeting. However, teams around the NFL sense that the Vikings might be eyeing potential Patriots draft pick Drake Maye, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported.
“The Vikings could be a perfect scenario for [Maye],” Fowler said on “SportsCenter.” “There’s a belief among some teams that Minnesota could try to trade up to get [Maye]. It would take a lot, but they are armed with two first-round picks to try to make it happen.”
Maye has been heavily expected to be a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, potentially giving the Patriots the opportunity to select him. They seem to at least be interested in the quarterback, sending nine staffers to his Pro Day at UNC on Thursday. Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo were among that group, reportedly expressing intrigue in Maye during his throwing session. They also reportedly met with the quarterback on Thursday as well.
Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Patriots will select him. The Commanders will likely decide between Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick. Regardless of which quarterback the Commanders take, the Patriots have left the door open to possibly trade down from the third overall pick.
“Obviously, quarterback is definitely a priority. With that being said, we’re still open to any type of deals that come our way,” Mayo told reporters during the NFL’s league meetings. “We’re very far [into] the process, but we still have a long way to go. Definitely feel like we have time to really nail down our prospects in who we are going to go after.”
Trading the No. 3 overall pick to the Vikings could land the Patriots a massive haul to help rebuild their roster following a 4-13 season. Going off recent history, it isn’t unfathomable to think the Patriots could get the No. 11 and No. 23 overall picks plus a future first-round pick from the Vikings.
But that would also likely mean passing on drafting one of the top-four quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. If it is Maye who falls to three, it could also mean passing on a highly-talented quarterback prospect.
“I’ve heard from multiple league execs he has the most upside of any of the quarterbacks in this draft, maybe any player in this draft,” Fowler said of Maye. “He’s got that Josh Allen, Justin Herbert build — I’m not saying he’s them but he’s got some of those shades — where if you can let him sit for a year behind the scenes, he can really develop into an All-Star.”
Sign up for Patriots updates🏈
Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during football season.
