Patriots might pass on one rookie quarterback if he falls to No. 3

Over the last few months, which quarterback will fall to the Patriots at No. 3 has become a flavor-of-the-week situation. At first, it was all about UNC's Drake Maye, then it shifted to LSU's Jayden Daniels, and now, who is favored to be selected by New England, changes almost daily.

The same can be said regarding their openness to trading down, a scenario that some analysts have considered because of their incredible value by holding the third overall pick.

New reports refute that, but it could become a reality if one quarterback in particular is on the board when the Patriots are on the clock.

Patriots might pass on Drake Maye if he falls to No. 3

In a week spent attending Pro Days for the top prospects, a new rumor has come to light regarding the teams' alleged disinterest in Drake Maye. For most of the offseason, he has been touted as the prototypical Patriot, as he is more of a pocket passer and sticks with the historical model they have used when bringing in quarterbacks.

But that doesn't appear to be the case.

According to ESPN's Mel Kiper, a few aspects have turned off the Patriots from the young quarterback, which could ultimately be the determining factor in who they draft with the third pick or if they decide to trade down with another quarterback-needy team.

“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.”

This is quite the revelation, considering Maye has a high chance of being the player that falls to them at three, mainly due to the growing fascination with Jayden Daniels in recent weeks. The Commanders could take the LSU quarterback instead, leaving the Patriots with a player they are believed not to love.

It's a difficult situation for the new regime in Foxboro, with all the pressure on their shoulders to put together a talented draft class and, even more so, pick the right quarterback.

Because they already traded Mac Jones and signed Jacoby Brissett, they're making moves to add a rookie to the mix, so that appears to be the plan. But if they don't love Maye and decide to take him anyway, it could cause unfavorable long-term consequences if it doesn't work out.

That's essentially what happened when they drafted Jones in 2021, and they cannot repeat that with their next best chance at finding their franchise quarterback.

It will be interesting to see how this unfolds and, if the likelihood of Maye falling to them increases over the next month, whether they will begin to seriously consider trade talks.

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