NFL Draft Rumors: This ‘Emboldened’ Patriots To Keep No. 3 Pick

Mounting chatter in the months leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft led you to believe the Patriots were seriously considering trading the No. 3 overall pick.

But as it turns out, the potential move was one New England didn’t explore very seriously.

The Patriots last Thursday kept their highest selection since 1993 and took quarterback Drake Maye, a talented signal-caller whom the franchise deemed their likely pick long before Day 1 of the draft. But before grabbing the North Carolina product, New England rejected reported offers from the Vikings and the Giants that both would’ve significantly bolstered the Patriots’ arsenal of assets.

New England’s commitment to keeping the coveted pick likely was mostly due to the organization’s widespread belief that Maye would be the team’s franchise quarterback for years to come. But the actors involved in reported negotiations might’ve dissuaded the Patriots from making a first-round trade as well.

“Ultimately, nothing came close to moving the Patriots off their choice,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote in a column published Friday. “In fact, that Kevin O’Connell and Brian Daboll were the head coaches interested, only emboldened New England to stay put.”

O’Connell and Daboll, of course, both have roots in Foxboro, Mass. The former was a 2008 third-round draft pick by New England, while the latter served two stints (2000-2006; 2013-2016) on Bill Belichick’s coaching staff.

Time will tell if the Patriots were right to take Maye and pass on opportunities to stockpile high draft picks. But quarterback is the most important position in pro sports, so it’s tough to knock New England for taking a swing on one when it found itself in a franchise-altering draft slot.