After the first week of free agency the New England Patriots have done little to change their offensive identity. The addition of veteran backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett and third-down back Antonio Gibson are surely assets, but it remains to be seen if they will be upgrades over Bailey Zappe and Ezekiel Elliott.
The Pats’ lack of urgency in overhauling the NFL’s second-worst offense from 2023 begs the question: What will they do in the draft?
ESPN draft gurus Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates tackled the decision in this week’s First Draft show.
Patriots – Drake Maye J.J. McCarthy
Sitting at No. 3 overall, rumors about the Patriots are all over the map. Will they trade down with the Minnesota Vikings, who also need a starting quarterback? Will they stay put and select quarterback Drake Maye? Do they like J.J. McCarthy as much as Maye? Or do they like receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. even more than the two quarterbacks?
“This is a tough one,” Kiper says of New England’s position. “We’re hearing all this chatter about how the Patriots don’t love Drake Maye. About how he missed receivers and wasn’t accurate in a handful of games. They need a quarterback desperately. But so does Minnesota.”
The Patriots recently traded Mac Jones to the Jaguars. The Vikings, picking two spots behind the Pats at No. 5, lost Kirk Cousins to the Falcons in free agency.
Says Yates, “Whoever their quarterback is – let’s be honest – the weapons around him are at this point very mediocre. The Patriots need to do everything in their power to get a receiver weapon.”
However, despite having their choice of Ohio State’s Harrison Jr. and LSU’s Malik Neighbors, ESPN projects the Pats to stick with Maye. For now.
“In a division that includes Josh Allen (Bills), Aaron Rodgers (Jets) and Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins), you’ve got to have a quarterback,’ says Kiper. “Maybe they like Maye. Maybe they like McCarthy over Maye. But why in the world would you trade out of No. 3?”
