Patriots 4-round mock draft with mega-trades stuns the AFC East

The New England Patriots are on the clock with the third pick in the 2024 NFL draft...

With their highest pick in the NFL draft in 31 years, the Patriots need to get that pick right, and it should be nearly impossible NOT to do so. There are at least seven blue-chip players in this draft, if not more, who are all on the offensive side of the ball, where the Patriots need help the most. And they all are in positions of need in Foxborough.

Need quarterback? There are three right there: Caleb Williams of USC, Drake Maye of North Carolina, and Jayden Daniels of LSU, all of whom are mobile and talented. Any of the three is a top choice that can't be faulted.

Need a wide receiver, possibly the best in the draft Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State may be available. If you want a foundational offensive left tackle, Joe Alt of Notre Dame and Olu Fashanu of Penn State may both be at pick No. 3. A wild card and maybe the best player in the draft is tight end Brock Bowers from Georgia. Picking Bowers (best after a slight trade-down for more picks) would get rave reviews here.

Well, it's time, and the Patriots send up the card with the third pick in the 2024 NFL draft. They interestingly decide to trade down with the New York Giants. The Pats surrender the third pick and get the Giants' pick No. 6 in the first round and 39 in the second round. It's a nice haul for moving down three picks.

At pick No. 6, both Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels are still on the board. The Pats send the card up to the Commissioner, and yet again, they trade down! This time, one pick only to Tennessee. They send their No. 6 and their third-round pick, No. 68, to the Titans for pick No. 7 in the first round and their pick No. 38, adding yet another second-round pick (now three) to their coffers. The Titans select wide receiver Rome Odunze, leaving Maye and Daniels on the board.

Then, the Patriots respond to another trade offer from Atlanta for their pick, No. 7, and the Patriots' fourth-round pick, No. 104. In return, the Pats get Atlanta's pick No. 8 this year and their first-round pick in 2025. Again, the return this third time is just too good to turn down. Wolf accepts the offer and trades down with the Falcons.

This time, Maye is taken by the Falcons, leaving Daniels as the only top quarterback available to New England. Wolf now goes for the gold and wastes little time sending the Pats' pick, the eighth in the first round, up to Commissioner Roger Goodell. He announces that the New England Patriots, with the eighth pick in the first round of the NFL draft, have selected quarterback Jayden Daniels from LSU.