New England Patriots Trade Down with Vikings? NFL Draft Rumor

While the New England Patriots are prioritizing the quarterback position in the upcoming NFL Draft, they could still trade away the No. 3 pick.

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf during the / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

What will the New England Patriots do with the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft? 

That is one of the big questions with just a month to go until the Chicago Bears are put on the clock. While quarterback stands out as a major need for the Patriots, and judging by recent comments from new coach Jerod Mayo, it is a position they are prioritizing. However, they haven't closed the door on trading down.

Obviously, with the unpredictability of the draft, anything can happen, which means the Patriots aren't guranteed to have their favorite quarterback fall to them at No. 3. With that in mind, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer recently broke down a potential scenario where the Patriots make a trade with the Minnesota Vikings that'd see them move down from the No. 3 pick.

"I think a scenario we could see happen is, if the Patriots decide they like Drake Maye and not Jayden Daniels, or the other way around, and the Commanders take the one that they like, and the one they don't like falls to them, then of course they would be open to moving the pick," Breer said in a recent interview with NBC Sports Boston. "And unless the Commanders decide to declare their intentions, you're not going to know until you're on the clock.

"I think that's a very realistic scenario, because you're not going to see all of these guys the same way. So, that scenario is possible where they decide there are two -- not three or four -- high-end quarterbacks in this year's draft, and if one of those two doesn't fall to them, they could decide to move out."

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf during the / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Expanding upon Breer's scenario, the Patriots can likely pencil in USC's Caleb Williams as the first signal-caller off the board. Which leaves the question of whose next? Is it UNC's Drake Maye or LSU's Jayden Daniels? What about a potential wildcard selection like Michigan's J.J. McCarthy? 

Then comes the question of whether the Patriots are comfortable putting their future on the shoulders of whichever young quarterback is left. 

If not, a trade with the Vikings would make a lot of sense. Thanks to Minnesota’s recent trade with the Houston Texans, they are now the holders of both the No. 11 and 23 picks in the draft, which are now expected to be moved in any potential trade up the board, especially into the top three. 

For a team seemingly in the beginning stages of a rebuild, the value of having two first-round picks speaks for itself. It’d allow the Patriots to address not one but two priority needs before even making their first selection of Day 2. 

Instead of only getting a quarterback at No. 3, the Patriots could get one of the top offensive tackles at No. 11 before taking a receiver at No. 23, filling two of their other biggest needs. The case can even be made that by taking this approach of waiting on a quarterback; the Patriots could put themselves in a better position when they finally find their next franchise signal-caller.