Beat writer links Patriots with certain quarterback at pick No. 3

It's been thought since the New England Patriots signed veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett early into free agency that they plan to start Brissett this coming fall over a rookie taken with the third pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. 

In a mock draft published on Monday, Patriots beat writer Chris Mason of MassLive predicted that Drake Maye of the North Carolina Tar Heels will be the rookie who learns as a backup behind Brissett. 

"In taking Maye at No. 3 overall, the Patriots are getting a raw product that boasts a very high ceiling," Mason explained. "As such, they’re well positioned to sit Maye for as long as they need with Jacoby Brissett serving as a Band-Aid until (Maye is) ready." 

Those within the Patriots organization were looking for a new long-term answer at the sport's most important position even before the club agreed to trade 2021 first-round draft pick Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this offseason. 

While it's widely assumed the Chicago Bears will draft USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams first overall on April 25, the Washington Commanders' plans for pick No. 2 remain a mystery. 

As recently as Monday, at least one noteworthy mock draft linked Washington with Maye. Others believe the Commanders will grab either Michigan Wolverines signal-caller J.J. McCarthy or LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels via the second selection. 

For a piece published Monday, NFL insider Field Yates of ESPN wrote that "the Patriots should sprint the card in at pick No. 3" for Daniels if he falls past Washington in the draft order. 

Mason is among those who have poured cold water over the notion that the Patriots could take McCarthy at pick No. 3. Meanwhile, Dan Orlovsky of ESPN and ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. have warned that Maye likely needs to spend much of his rookie season learning as a benched spectator. 

Retired player and current NFL analyst Merril Hoge said he "wouldn’t draft" Maye in the first round and thinks Maye "is the kind of player that will get you fired." 

The New York Giants may or may not have interest in moving up from No. 6 to No. 3 in the draft order, but it's unclear if New England will trade out of the third pick if the quarterback the Patriots want is still on the board after the Commanders make their selection.