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ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. maps out Patriots’ draft strategy with No. 3 pick
"Sometimes settling is not a bad thing, and in this draft, I don’t think you’re settling.”
It’s the dawn of a new era in Foxborough, especially with Jerod Mayo succeeding Bill Belichick as head coach of the Patriots.
But for all of the potential overhaul with New England’s coaching staff, the Patriots’ hopes of reasserting itself as an AFC powerhouse may rest on the team’s ability to find a franchise-altering prospect in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
And with New England currently holding onto the No. 3 pick, ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes that the choice is clear as to which route the Patriots need to take in late April.
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“Should the Patriots make it this simple, Mel? Whichever quarterback is remaining out of the three, just take him?” ESPN NFL reporter Field Yates asked during a draft breakdown posted Monday.
“You can only take one player. You can’t take three or four. … So yes, you’d like to have the O-lineman. Yes, you’d like to have (Ohio State wide receiver) Marvin Harrison Jr. But you got to get the quarterback,” Kiper explained. “You’re in a division with Josh Allen, Tua (Tagovailoa) — Aaron Rodgers is going to play a couple more years.
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“The AFC’s loaded with outstanding quarterbacks. You’ve got to get the quarterback. … So you look at whoever is left, be it Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye and that would be the pick at three for the New England Patriots.”
It’s to be expected that two blue-chip QB prospects in USC’s Caleb Williams and UNC’s Drake Maye will be off the board by the time New England is on the clock with the third overall pick.
The next projected available QB is LSU’s Jayden Daniels, who took home the Heisman Trophy this past season after tossing 40 touchdowns with just four interceptions for the Tigers — while also rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 more touchdowns.
However, Daniels is considered a potential boom-or-bust prospect in the NFL ranks, especially due to his slender frame (6-foot-4, 210 pounds).
New England could target other promising prospects like Harrison Jr., who might be the safest pick given his elite skillset as a No. 1 wideout at the next level.
But Kiper doesn’t believe that New England should adopt the mindset of having to “settle” for the third-ranked QB in this current draft class.
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“I can give you a lot of lists of past drafts where that third quarterback was really, really good,” Kiper said. “Who did you settle for? You settled for maybe the best quarterback of the group. So sometimes settling is not a bad thing, and in this draft, I don’t think you’re settling.”
Kiper highlighted a few previous drafts in which the third QB to be taken off the board carved out a strong career. Ben Roethlisberger (No. 11 overall) went behind Eli Manning (No. 1 overall) and Phillip Rivers (No. 4) in 2004.
Josh Allen (No. 7 overall) followed behind Baker Mayfield (No. 1) and Sam Darnold (No. 3) in 2018, while Justin Herbert (No. 6) was third off the board behind Joe Burrow (No. 1 overall) and Tagovailoa (No. 5) in 2020.
For Kiper, Daniels’ potential as a dual-threat QB will be too enticing for New England to pass on, especially given the team’s offensive woes over the last few seasons.
“Herm Edwards, who recruited and coached Jayden Daniels, said Randall Cunningham. Some say Lamar Jackson,” Kiper said of a potential player comparison for the LSU QB.
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