Albert Breer shares what he’s been hearing from NFL executives and scouts over the last 24 hours about the status of the top quarterback prospects heading into the 2024 NFL Draft.
The 2023 NFL season is finally over for the New England Patriots, and even though it was a painful one for fans, it could all be worth it in a few months.
The Patriots lost 17-3 to the New York Jets in Sunday's Week 18 finale at Gillette Stadium, which dropped their record to 4-13 at the bottom of the AFC standings. This result guaranteed the Patriots at least the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and that's ultimately where they officially ended up -- No. 3 overall -- after the late afternoon games finished.
It was possible for the Patriots to move up to No. 2, but they needed the Washington Commanders to beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The Commanders put up a good fight in the first half but lost 38-10.
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The Patriots and Commanders both finished at 4-13, but Washington will get the No. 2 pick because it has the strength of schedule tiebreaker advantage over New England. The team with the worse strength of schedule gets the better pick.
- Patriots: .522 strength of schedule
- Commanders: .512 strength of schedule
Getting a top-three pick is massively important because it allows the Patriots to select at least one of the top three quarterbacks in the 2024 class -- USC's Caleb Williams, UNC's Drake Maye and LSU's Jayden Daniels -- or the top wide receiver prospect in Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr.
🔊 Next Pats: Why Jayden Daniels should be the third QB taken in the 2024 NFL Draft | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
The last time the Patriots had a top-five pick was in 1994 when they selected USC linebacker Willie McGinest at No. 4 overall. It turned out to be a pretty good pick as McGinest played a key role on three Super Bowl-winning teams. The last time New England had a top-three pick was 1993 when the team selected Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe first overall.
Here's the updated order for the top 10 first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. We will update this order as needed through Sunday night's Bills-Dolphins game.
10. New York Jets, 7-10
9. Chicago Bears, 7-10
8. Atlanta Falcons, 7-10
7. Tennessee Titans, 6-11
6. New York Giants, 6-11
5. Los Angeles Chargers, 5-12
4. Arizona Cardinals, 4-13
3. New England Patriots, 4-13
2. Washington Commanders, 4-13
1. Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers, 2-15)
