Should New England Patriots Trade Down For Quarterback in NFL Draft?

Could the New England Patriots trade down to acquire more picks and still land their quarterback of the future?

Nov 11, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Drafting a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick won't fix all of the New England Patriots' needs, but it'll be a step in the right direction for a franchise in search of their franchise signal caller.

While the easiest decision is to stand pat and take the quarterback who falls to them, the Patriots still have needs at key positions like receiver and left tackle. With those positions needing to be addressed to set up a rookie quarterback for success, Bleacher Report proposed New England trade down with the New York Giants to No. 6 overall and draft UNC quarterback Drake Maye.

Nov 11, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

"New England can make a deal and address its most important need," Bleacher Report writes. "In that scenario, the Patriots would deserve rave reviews for their ability to accumulate picks and still draft a blue-chip quarterback prospect. In addition to a top signal-caller, they can bolster key positions at left tackle, wide receiver and edge-rusher within the first three rounds of the draft."

While trading down and landing Maye would be a dream scenario, there are a lot of moving parts and a lot of things that need to go right in that situation. The first thing is they'd have to believe the Giants aren't taking Maye if they trade up. New York has been connected to Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but that could be because they believe Maye is out of striking distance with the No. 6 overall pick.

If New England trades down, it would have to hold its breath that no quarterback-needy team trades up to No. 4 with the Arizona Cardinals or No. 5 with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Minnesota Vikings loom large with the No. 11 and No. 23 overall picks in the first round, which could be more than enough to move up with either team to draft Maye.

Turning the franchise around will likely take more than one offseason, and accumulating more picks can expedite the process. If the Patriots can trade down, get more picks and still land a quarterback, it'd be a home run, but there are a lot of moving parts with taking a risk of that magnitude. Getting jumped by another team and being left with no quarterback it likes could be catastrophic for New England.

Oftentimes, the simplest answer is the best one. If the Patriots like Maye or McCarthy and they're there with the No. 3 pick, their best bet is standing pat and taking them and then addressing their other needs on offense with the picks they have in the rest of the draft.