Proposed Patriots trade-down in 2024 Draft might be too good to pass up

Most Patriots fans have jumped on the quarterback or bust bandwagon regarding how the team should use their third overall pick in this year's draft. Because the position is the most important part of any football team, and New England has no plan for the future, taking advantage of a high draft pick to take the next face of the franchise makes sense.

But even within that majority, there is a sliver of the fanbase who believe if the right guy for the job is taken by the Commanders one pick ahead of them, then the Patriots should engage in a trade-down scenario to acquire more picks for this year and next.

That would allow the new regime to prioritize bulking up the offense in its entirety and take a quarterback in the second round or hold off on the position altogether until 2025.

It's a scenario new head coach Jerod Mayo has left open as a possibility, emphasizing doing what is best for the team as part of his reasoning. If that is what they choose to do, plenty of proposed trades have excited fans, and the latest one from Bleacher Report may be so good that even the biggest 'quarterback or bust' voice could change their mind.

Proposed Patriots trade-down in 2024 Draft might be too good to pass up

When discussing a potential trade down by the Patriots, there have been a few teams consistently in the conversation: the Raiders and Vikings. Both teams are looking to add a new quarterback to their roster, with Las Vegas still needing a Derek Carr replacement and Minnesota wanting a refresh post-Kirk Cousins.

The Raiders have been connected to Jayden Daniels, who could be available when the Patriots are on the clock, while the Vikings appear to be adding draft picks to sweeten their likely trade proposal to snag Daniels, Drake Maye, or J.J. McCarthy.

The Vikings have remained at the forefront as the most possible trade partner for the Patriots to get a deal done with, which Alex Kay of Bleacher Report uses as the basis of this proposed trade.

Because moving up from the 11th overall pick to the 3rd will cost a pretty penny, even more than what the 49ers gave up to the Dolphins in 2021, Kay has the Vikings sending over three first-rounders plus a future second-round selection to acquire the desirable No. 3 pick.

In other hypothesized trades, the Vikings threw in Justin Jefferson to help decrease the draft capital they'd need to send. But because the receiver's status with the team seems sticky at best, this proposal for just picks seems more plausible.

On top of that, it looks more like a deal that Mayo and Eliot Wolf would be more willing to accept, as they have stressed their desire to build the team through the draft and put together a team of young players. Adding more picks in 2025 and 2026 allows them to get even more prospects who fit the bill.

It will ultimately be a difficult situation no matter the decision, with a quarterback dictating much of the success of an offense, but adding more picks is incredibly enticing. It will be interesting to see what the trade offers might be and if the Patriots will seriously consider any of them.

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