Mar 25, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jarod Mayo talks to media during the NFL annual league meetings at the JW Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
REPORT: New England Patriots To Dine Heisman Trophy Finalist, Could Be Poised To Make A Shocking Selection With The 3rd Overall Pick.
The writing has been on the wall for the New England Patriots’ quarterback situation ever since Mac Jones was replaced as the starter for former 4th round pick, Bailey Zappe, with just 5 games to go in the 2023. And after Jones was subsequently traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars,
New England Patriots Looking For Their First True Franchise Quarterback Since Tom Brady.
Ever since having the 3rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft confirmed at the close of the 2023 regular season, the Patriots have started a meticulous search for their quarterback of the future, in what is widely viewed to be a loaded QB class.
The Patriots have already hosted multiple potential future signal callers, including favorite to be selected with the 3rd overall pick, North Carolina QB, Drake Maye.
However, the search is far from complete for New England: not only are they at the mercy of the first two picks in the draft, held by the Chicago Bears – who are set to draft “generational” talent, Caleb Williams, and the Washington Commanders, but they are still doing their due diligence on all the potential future faces of the franchise, per Ian Rapoport.
Could Michael Penix Jr. Become A New England Patriot?
The topic of whether Michael Penix Jr. will end up a 1st rounder has become a hotly contested one. Penix has been projected to go anywhere from a top 15 pick to the Las Vegas Raiders or Denver Broncos, to dropping all the way to the 3rd round as a developmental prospect.
Although New England will meet with Penix Jr. as one of their Top 30 visits, the visit may not even be concerning the pick at #3 overall; if the Patriots decide to trade down with a quarterback needy team just outside the top 10, or select ultra-talented prodigy-adjascent, Marvin Harrison Jr. with their top 5 pick, they could be looking for their next signal caller in the later rounds.
Equally, the Pats may decide to double dip on the QB position, doing their homework on Penix in case he falls to early on Day 3, where they may decide to take him in the 4th or 5th round, a la Washington in 2012, when the now-Commanders selected future Pro Bowler, Kirk Cousins, with the 102nd pick after selecting Robert Griffin III with the 2nd.
Ultimately, Michael Penix Jr. is unlikely to end up a Patriot, with Maye and ex-Michigan quarterback and National Championship winner, JJ McCarthy, both above the former Washington man in the media-established QB hierarchy. Yet, we have definitely seen stranger things happen.
