Next month, the New England Patriots will have their most important draft in recent memory.
Their No. 3 overall pick is their highest selection since they took Drew Blesdoe first overall in 1993. While they're widely expected to use the pick on one of the top quarterbacks, they could choose to trade down to acquire more assets in hopes of expediting their rebuild.
If they opt for the latter, the No. 3 overall selection will be in high demand. A number of teams across the league are desperate for QB help, so New England could capitalize and get a haul in exchange for the pick if they aren't sold on the QBs on the board.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Everything appears to be on the table for the post-Bill Belichick regime, but how does the rest of the NFL views the No. 3 pick? Dianna Russini of The Athletic joined the latest episode of Tom E. Curran's Patriots Talk Podcast to share her insight.
🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: NFL owners meetings wrap: Things are getting interesting for Patriots at No. 3 | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"It's becoming a reality that four quarterbacks could potentially go with those top four picks," Russini said. "So with that three pick, the New England Patriots -- open for business -- obviously are going to look at all the different options that they have and take those phone calls to listen. Is there a team willing to give up a big haul in order to move up? And if that would be a good investment for the Patriots to say, 'You know what? Maybe we collect more picks and continue to build'?
"There's a team down in Texas, the Houston Texans, who had that plan years ago where they started to build. They didn't just get good last year. This wasn't like they drafted C.J. Stroud and became stars. The building started two, three years ago, which is why they're in the position that they're in now. So maybe this is an option. I'm not saying this is what they do, but I'm sure in the building this is something they're discussing of, 'If we get the right price, should we do?'
MORE PATRIOTS
Russini also shared how teams across the league view the new-look Patriots entering the 2024 season.
"I think the mindset around the league right now or how they're viewing New England Patriots is really just a gigantic rebuild. Trying to find just the simplicity of their identity," she said. "What are they? Who are they going to be? Is this going to be a Bill Belichick Jr. team? Is this going to be an extension of that, or is this actually really going to be a fresh new approach to how they do it? Whether that means on the field, off the field, all of it. ..
"It's just going to take time. So if there's one word I could leave everyone with right now -- it's really hard, it's very hard -- patience."
Also in the episode:
- Reaction to the NFL rule changes.
- Three takeaways from Robert Kraft’s comments.
- How do you make players want to play for the Patriots?
- How do the Patriots balance patience and urgency?