Robert Kraft and Jerod Mayo. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The New England Patriots could reportedly shake up the 2024 NFL Draft by going in a direction that would stun just about everybody.

Caleb Williams is a virtual lock to go first overall to the Chicago Bears. The Washington Commanders will likely go with a quarterback at No. 2, and the assumption for a while has been that the New England Patriots would also take a signal-caller at No. 3.

Speaking on “SportsCenter”, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that New England is “not even a slam dunk” to take a quarterback at No. 3. Fowler noted that the AFC East club would be fine giving free agent pickup Jacoby Brissett some action, even if they draft a QB:

“I have talked to a few teams that are drafting in the top 10-12 that wonder if the quarterback they want isn’t there at No. 3 do they just take a Marvin Harrison Jr., stockpile some picks.”

The Patriots traded Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars following a miserable final year in Foxborough. Third-year QB Bailey Zappe is the No. 2 signal-caller on the roster behind the aforementioned Brissett.

New England could take a quarterback at No. 3, but there’s a case to be made that they’re better off taking a non-quarterback OR trading the selection for additional picks. And if the Patriots are open to the latter, there most certainly won’t be a shortage of teams interested in trading up for that pick.

Potential Targets For The New England Patriots At No. 3

If the Patriots end up deciding to keep the No. 3 pick, there are several big-named prospects available for them to consider.

Obviously, the option is there to take a quarterback like Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy. If they don’t want a quarterback, then it makes sense to take a top-tier receiver prospect like Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers.

But again, their best bet may be to simply deal the No. 3 overall pick to a team that wants a quarterback, such as the Minnesota Vikings or Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants or Seattle Seahawks.