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The New England Patriots find themselves ushering in a new era in 2024 with Bill Belichick officially gone and Jerod Mayo taking over as head coach. While a number of fans and experts expected the franchise to bring Mike Vrabel on board as Bill Belichick's replacement, Robert Kraft zigged while the others zagged, opting to put his faith in Mayo, who was reportedly promised the job early on.
In any case, Mayo now has a task on his hands to rebuild the once-mighty Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft. The franchise is in dire need of a quarterback, having traded former starter Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this month.
The expectation is that the Patriots will lock in on one of Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels in the NFL Draft. However, Mayo raised some eyebrows with his comments this week.
New England Patriots draft news: HC Jerod Mayo uncertain on QB plan
Mayo told NFL Media's Steve Wyche about picking a QB:
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“It’s the priority right now. But with that being said, you have to really be in love with the guy to take him at No. 3. So really all the options are still open for us."
Mayo then addressed Jacoby Brissett's role with the franchise, saying:
"Honestly, look, he could absolutely be our starter this year. We're not dead set at taking a quarterback at No. 3 but we do feel good having a guy like Jacoby ready to go."
Mayo's comments will come as little solace to Patriots fans, who have been starved of halfway-decent QB play since Tom Brady moved on. The Patriots have since had Mac Jones, Cam Newton and Bailey Zappe under center, though none of them solidified their credentials as an NFL starter.
2024 NFL Draft: Who could the Patriots end up with?
At this point, the league-wide expectation is that the Chicago Bears will pick Caleb Williams out of USC with the first overall pick. The Washington Commanders have the second overall pick but Dan Quinn told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero that the franchise hasn't ruled out trading down just yet.
Quinn said:
"I would anticipate him fielding these calls as it goes through, and usually it’s not necessarily later than No. 6 or 7, but those people who are usually in the top four or five, there’s somebody that somebody has targeted, and I think it’s mostly like ‘Well, I’ve got to take a shot!’
"A lot of times it’s no, like ‘Thanks for calling’ but it is part of the process, and you have to do your due diligence to listen and to find out just to make sure if there is something that you just couldn’t refuse."
In any case, the Patriots will have the choice of picking either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels with the No. 3 overall pick. Both prospects have seen their draft stock rise and fall before and after the NFL Combine, with Michigan's J.J. McCarthy also impressing scouts at his pro day.
Sportskeeda's Tony Pauline was at hand to witness McCarthy's Pro Day. Pauline wrote:
"While I'm told there is still some concern about his deep arm, the majority of people I spoke with said the junior signal caller looked great. The belief in Ann Arbor is that the Chargers could trade out of the fifth spot to a team that wants to jump in front of the Giants and grab McCarthy."
