Jerod Mayo swings door wide open for nightmare Patriots draft scenario

The Annual League meeting is well underway, and on Monday morning, it was the first time since his initial swearing-in as the new head coach that the media got to speak to Jerod Mayo. Because we are about a month away from the 2024 NFL Draft, many of the questions reporters asked him were about what the Patriots were planning to do, especially with the third overall pick.

There has been a lot of speculation in recent weeks about their decision regarding the coveted pick. The assumption has been they will take their next franchise quarterback, whether it be Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, or maybe even J.J. McCarthy.

Other rumors have claimed the new regime in Foxboro is considering trading back, likely with another team looking to draft their next signal-caller, like the Vikings or Raiders.

Mayo has confirmed that either scenario could be what the Patriots might end up doing, but one of his comments about his media availability stood out more than the rest.

Mayo swings door wide open for nightmare Patriots draft scenario

Most fans and analysts believe the smartest thing for Mayo and Co. to do with the third overall pick is to take a quarterback. It is the most important position on any football team, and it's not often you have this desirable position in the draft order to do that, so they should take advantage of it.

The idea of trading back only seems logical if they don't love whichever player falls them at three, which could vary with the Commanders also being interested in potentially trading out of the second overall pick.

But in his comments about entertaining conversations to trade out if a team sends them a haul of first-rounders, Mayo shared a new philosophy of what he believes is a recipe for success for a team in the NFL.

He's not wrong to an extent, especially when a team is in dire need of upgrading as badly as the Patriots are right now. Plus, it would help them to acquire more picks since they are set to have just eight for the entire draft.

At the same time, finding a quarterback is the root of a successful team, and it's like finding a needle in a haystack to find the right guy at the right time. Deciding to forgo taking a quarterback when you're in a prime position to do so doesn't provide much optimism for the season ahead.

Sure, acquiring more picks this year and next would be great. But moving ahead with the quarterback of the future takes a lot off their plate in trying to build up the rest of the offense, and it would help entice free agents to come to the team if that situation is handled.

Mayo may be just sending out mixed signals to see what teams may call and offer while also letting them know they're looking at taking a quarterback. It wouldn't be ideal to reveal the Patriots plan ahead of the draft, so hopefully this is just typical head coach talk and not a sign of what's to come.

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