Who Is It? Patriots Have ‘General Idea’ Of Potential No. 3 Pick

FOXBORO, Mass. — Surprise! The Patriots actually have no concrete answer as to who they’ll take with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Is that their fault? No.

New England is at the mercy of both the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders, who are each expected to select their next franchise quarterback in the top two picks. It’s all but guaranteed that USC’s Caleb Williams will go No. 1, leaving UNC’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels as the likely options at No. 2.

The Patriots, if they so choose, can select whichever prospect remains on the board. Do they feel there will be a quarterback at No. 3 that is worthy of that pick?

“Yeah,” Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf bluntly said Thursday, speaking with reporters for the final time prior to the draft.

Does New England have an idea who it would be comfortable picking?

“We haven’t had that final conversation yet,” Wolf admitted. “But I do think there’s a general idea of how we feel about these players.”

It’s not surprising to see Wolf hold his cards close to the chest, but what he did say left the door open for a monumental choice at No. 3. Maye and Daniels are the headliners, but Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy is another guy who has picked up steam ahead of the draft. Wolf, according to reports, has been “pushing” for McCarthy. The Patriots also brought in Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. recently.

New England has an “idea” of who they want, but given all the unknown, they’ve left the door open.