The NFL Draft is nearly upon us, and that means that many rumors and mock drafts will be attempting to rally and confuse everyone. This is arguably going to be one of the most exciting drafts simply because of the quarterback talent available, and the bevy of teams who need a new signal caller.
One of the most interesting storylines has to do with the top three picks in the draft. While the consensus is that the Chicago Bears are taking USC’s Caleb Williams No. 1 overall and the Washington Commanders are taking LSU’s Jayden Daniels No. 2 overall — the No. 3 overall pick is starting to get muddied.
The New England Patriots are slated to pick at No. 3, and most analysts, including us, have opined that they are to select UNC’s Drake Maye. However, that might not be set in stone any longer. The Patriots recently came out and stated they are having “ongoing” talks about trading down.
With teams like the Minnesota Vikings wanting to trade up, the rumor mill has begun to spin. The Vikings own the No. 11 and No. 23 overall picks and could use both to leapfrog into the top five to select a quarterback. They have been mocked to trade with the Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 or the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5 to select Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
This would make perfect sense, but now longtime NFL analyst Adam Schefter believes the Vikings could try and trade up to No. 3 and select Maye. According to Schefter, “Some around the league believe if the Vikings can get as high as No. 3, their preference would be quarterback Drake Maye (North Carolina), who was coached in high school by Minnesota’s new quarterbacks coach Josh McCown.”
The Patriots already stated they are listening to offers, and they could get a treasure trove of picks if they fall to say, No. 11. This would still allow them to also take a quarterback like Bo Nix from Oregon or Michael Penix Jr. from Washington.
Despite owning two first-round picks, the Vikings might have to give up far more to move up from No. 11 to No. 3. Should the Patriots view the trade as worth more than two first-round picks, and the Vikings agree to give up more selections, New England would be poised to rebuild through the draft in a big way.
The Patriots have always been savvy when it comes to building through the draft, and they are in a unique position at No. 3 to not only trade down, but also still secure a quarterback who can be a viable day-one starter. The Vikings appear to be in more of a desperation-type situation, and might be more open to trading away multiple picks to get Maye.
The Vikings trading to No. 3 will cause a major shakeup, but time will tell if they are planning to trade away the proverbial farm to land a quarterback. As it stands right now, signs are pointing to this exact situation.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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