Right now, the New England Patriots intend to hold onto their top draft selection since 1993.
Caleb Williams of USC, Jayden Daniels of LSU, and Drake Maye of UNC are the three top quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. Several teams have looked into trading up into the top three. Among those teams, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, were the Atlanta Falcons, who considered trading up for a quarterback at the NFL Combine in late February before bringing in Kirk Cousins via free agency.
However, as Breer noted, the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, and Chicago Bears were not willing to part with their first, second, or third round selections, respectively. And it seems like that’s still the case, particularly with the Patriots ranked third.
The clubs in the top three don’t seem to be eager to move right now, according to Breer’s observation on NBC Sports Boston’s Sports Sunday, which can be seen in the video above. “Atlanta, during the combine, they investigated moving up as part of their process in looking at cheaper options than Kirk Cousins or Baker Mayfield, and they basically hit a brick wall when they tried to get into the top three.”
Following the weekend’s trade of Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bears appear even more committed to Williams. Washington and New England, according to Breer, appear to be determined to select quarterbacks at Nos. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Breer wrote on Monday for Sports Illustrated, stating that “none of the three (the Bears, Commanders, and Patriots) have shown an appetite for trading one of those picks.”
