Draft season is upon us and already the rumor mill is in full swing.
At this point, everyone seems to know that the Chicago Bears will make USC quarterback Caleb Williams the top overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That leaves Washington deciding between two quarterbacks and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the writing is already on the wall on what the Commanders will do.
Appearing on his ‘Adam Schefter Podcast,’ the longtime NFL insider said all signs point to the Commanders drafting LSU’s Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick. That would have major ramifications for the Patriots and would likely lead them to select North Carolina’s Drake Maye at No. 3.
“We’ll see how the Commanders decide to move forward with the No. 2 overall selection, but a little over a few weeks out, to me, I think the signs continue to point to Jayden Daniels being the second overall pick at No. 2,” Schefter said. “It seems like he’s popular in the scouting community. It seems like he would bring a lot of the attributes that the Commanders would like.”
Schefter noted that Las Vegas “would have a high level of interest” in Daniels, who was at Arizona State when Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce was on that staff. However, Schefter doesn’t see Daniels available for the Patriots at No. 3 never mind to the Raiders.
“There’s one problem – the Commanders have the second pick,” Schefter said. “I think Jayden Daniels is going to be somebody that really appeals to them as he would a lot of teams as talented as he is and it’s hard for me today, today, to see Jayden Daniels sliding much past pick No. 2. So let’s pencil him in there.
“I know we’re not supposed to reveal the picks in advance, we don’t know what the picks will be, but we’ll see how it shakes out. I think that’s how it’s stacking up a few weeks out – Caleb Williams 1, Jayden Daniels 2, and then the New England Patriots would be on the clock at No. 3 with the possibility of taking Drake Maye at No. 3 in New England.”
At the NFL Combine in March, MassLive reported that the Patriots entered this offseason with a three-step plan at quarterback – sign a veteran backup/bridge player, trade Mac Jones and draft a quarterback at No. 3. At the time, sources told MassLive that the Patriots identified three quarterbacks (Williams, Daniels and Maye) as worthy for their No. 3 pick.
At this point in April, that plan is still in motion. The Patriots signed quarterback Jacoby Brissett to a one-year contract and traded Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Last week, the Patriots sent two large contingents to watch Daniels at the LSU Pro Day and then watch Maye at the North Carolina Pro Day. That wasn’t for show as the team continues to be locked in on this quarterback draft class.
If the Commanders draft Daniels, it would likely lead to the Patriots selecting Maye at No. 3. At the NFL Owners Meetings, Jerod Mayo gushed over Maye’s Combine interview with the Patriots.
“Drake Maye had a fantastic interview at the combine. He brings a lot of energy. You can tell he has that leadership ability,” Mayo said. “And also the exciting part about a guy like Drake Maye is the ceiling. Like, there is really no ceiling with a guy like that. Now, in saying that when we’re trying to put together this roster, I know a lot of people look at the ceiling, but you also got to kind of see how low is the floor. How low is the floor?”
“And I would say that a guy like Drake Maye, he has a lot of room to grow. He’s a young guy. Honestly, he hasn’t played football nearly as much as these other guys. So that’s definitely something that we’ve looked at, but he definitely is going to develop.”
If Daniels goes to the Commanders, the Patriots will likely find out.
