Patriots need a king's ransom to trade away the No. 3 pick

The New England Patriots have no shortage of needs entering the 2024 NFL Draft. For a team that finished 4-13 last year, they made surprisingly few moves in free agency, and none of them are expected to catapult their franchise back on a winning track.

Instead, the front office elected to sit on their hands with the most salary cap space in the NFL. With a plethora of needs that must be addressed, one scenario that's been teased is the idea of New England trading back from the No. 3 pick to stockpile more draft capital.

According to the latest rumor, that's not a move that appears to be on the table.

Recently, Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston claimed that the Patriots would have to receive 'a lot more' than three first-round picks to trade down from the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Curran entertained the idea of the Vikings moving up to pick No. 3 in exchange for both of their first-round picks in 2024 (pick No. 11 and pick No. 23) as well as their first-round pick in 2025.

Still, Curran doesn't believe this would be tempting enough for New England to pull the trigger. Here's what he had to say.

"From what I'm hearing, it's going to take a lot more than that for the Patriots to be moved off their spot, because they as a team collectively understand the opportunity that these three quarterbacks represent at the top of the draft."

- Tom Curran, via NBC Sports Boston

Why would the New England Patriots turn down such a massive hypothetical offer? The answer is simple: they have a chance to reset the franchise by taking a terrific quarterback prospect.

Elite QB class will have Patriots sticking at pick No. 3

Admittedly, it would be hard to pass on the idea of moving back eight spots in the 2024 draft and picking up two additional first-round picks. However, I fully understand the thought process of standing pat at pick No. 3.

It's not often we see a team that is typically competitive every year find themselves in a position to land an elite quarterback prospect without any sort of trade-up. After hitting rock bottom in Bill Belichick's final season in 2023, the Patriots have a chance to kick off a new era with a bang.

While it's safe to assume that Caleb Williams is going No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears, it's hard to tell which quarterback goes next. The Washington Commanders will pick between Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick, but the Patriots will be happy to pick up the scraps with whichever QB is left when they are on the clock.

If New England were to trade back this year with a team like the Vikings, what's the best-case scenario? They could hit on both first-round picks and find a few cornerstone players while heading into 2025 with two first-round picks.

But that doesn't solve their quarterback problem.

If the Patriots trade back more than just a few spots, all four of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy will be off the board. Though they could take a flier on Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr., there's a much smaller chance one of these quarterbacks proves to be the guy who will lead the team for the next decade.

Passing on the opportunity to land a franchise quarterback now in an excellent QB class means New England could go years without finding their quarterback of the future. When they do find a QB prospect they love in 2025 or beyond, it may require a significant trade-up to land him.

I get why a trio of first-round picks is so enticing, but if the report from Tom Curran is true, the Patriots are doing the right thing. Nothing is more important than the quarterback position in the NFL, and New England has a chance to revitalize their franchise with an outstanding QB prospect like Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. They can't pass this up.