Draft Guru Mel Kiper: Patriots 'Must' Pick QB!; Which One?

With the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, the New England Patriots are in a prime position to kick off their rebuild by taking a quarterback.

For the first since 1993, the New England Patriots begin the offseason with the luxury of having a top-3 pick in the NFL Draft. Their No. 3 overall pick is the bright light at the end of an otherwise dark 4-13 tunnel. 

However, that won't be the only major change this offseason, as they also find themselves in the beginning stages of a rebuild that kicked off with the mutual parting of ways with legendary coach Bill Belichick and the subsequent hiring of his successor Jerod Mayo. 

Combine the high draft pick with a projected $65 million in cap space this offseason; the Patriots hope to inject their roster with much-needed talent. But that is where the difficulty of having a top draft choice comes for the Patriots. 

There are undoubtedly many holes on the roster that could justify using their draft pick, but as ESPN's Mel Kiper recently explained, this decision should be simple. 

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels (left), USC's Caleb Williams (middle), and Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr (right) / Clutchpoints

“You can only take one player. You can’t take three or four," Kiper said. "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. You’re in a division with Josh Allen, Tua (Tagovailoa) — Aaron Rodgers is going to play a couple more years. ...

“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.”

After a season where former first-round pick Mac Jones was benched several times before ultimately being unseated by Bailey Zappe as the starting quarterback for the final six games, it is hard to deny the time is now for New England to find their franchise guy. 

The inability to replace legendary quarterback Tom Brady was the ultimate downfall for Belichick in New England. After parting ways with arguably the greatest coach ever, it would seem like a disservice to Mayo not to allow him his shot at choosing his quarterback. 

Considering the potential that the Patriots could see either USC's Caleb Williams or UNC's Drake Maye fall to them at No. 3, despite having legitimate cases to be taken first overall, is a hard idea to pass up on.

With the Chicago Bears still reportedly uncertain as to what they will do at No. 1 due to the strong finish to the season by Justin Fields, the Washington Commanders could be the only team to select a signal-caller before New England. 

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However, even if Williams and Maye go before the Patriots are on the clock, the prospects of drafting someone like LSU's Jayden Daniels, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, or the runner-up Michael Penix could also entice them.

Either way, if the Patriots are going to be successful in the near future, it will be because they found their next franchise quarterback.

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