How much would it cost the Patriots to trade up for the No. 1 pick? An ESPN insider has a prediction.
The Patriots would move up just two spots, but the price would be a heavy one.
The Chicago Bears have the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. The Patriots are two spots behind at No. 3.
So, what would it take for New England to swing a trade with Chicago for the No. 1 pick?
ESPN’s Field Yates laid out a potential scenario in a recent post about the Bears’ future.
In Yates’s scenario, the Patriots would give up this year’s No. 3 overall pick, along with this year’s second-round pick (No. 34) overall, and next year’s first-round pick. In return, the Patriots would get the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, giving them the ability to pick any player they choose.
Such a move would be motivated by a desire to make a change at the quarterback position, Yates wrote. USC’s Caleb Williams is generally considered the favorite to go No. 1 overall, with North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels also getting top-3 consideration in recent mock drafts.
“It’s a pretty big package, and the Pats would have to really like Williams — or at least heavily prefer two of the signal-callers to the third one,” Yates wrote. “But New England also needs stability under center as coach Jerod Mayo takes over, and it might not be happy to just land any of the top three guys.”
Giving up an additional first rounder and a second rounder to move up two spots would be a steep price. Other teams have put together significant packages to trade up in the past.
The Panthers moved up from No. 9 last year to take Bryce Young No. 1 overall by trading with Chicago. It cost them their 2023 first-and-second-round picks (No. 9 and No. 61 overall), along with their 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick. Carolina’s 2024 first-rounder is what became the No. 1 pick for the Bears.
The 49ers traded up from No. 12 overall to No. 6 in 2021 to take Trey Lance. The Dolphins received the 2021 No. 12 pick, first-and-third rounders in 2022, and an additional first-rounder in 2023.
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, who covers the Bears, offered some insight into how the Bears might think about such a proposal from the Patriots.
“It’s a new day for the New England front office, so I’d be asking for more from director of player personnel/de-facto GM Eliot Wolf if the Pats wanted to jump to No. 1, ” Cronin wrote. “The early second-rounder at No. 34 could be a path to a top wide receiver — maybe FSU’s Keon Coleman — but the Bears could also land Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 3 if they opted to bypass the QB group.
“The Patriots probably won’t want to give up their first three (picks),” Cronin added. “So I’m thinking at least a 2025 second-rounder has to be added to this offer, if not an NFL player. New England’s most intriguing players — such as tight end Hunter Henry and offensive tackle Trent Brown — are pending free agents, though.”
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