Jayden Daniels has reportedly ‘gained steam’ to be Patriots’ selection with No. 3 pick

Daniels is one of the three prospects who's perceived to be a top-tier quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Patriots won’t be on the clock with the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft for another eight weeks, but there might already be some indications on who they’ll pick.

Jayden Daniels has “gained steam this week” as the player the Patriots will most likely select with their top pick, The Athletic‘s Jeff Howe reported Saturday. While there have been rumors that Daniels could usurp Drake Maye as the perceived No. 2 overall pick, rival executives believe that the Commanders are “high” on the UNC quarterback and he’s the favorite to head to Washington, according to Howe.

As most of the NFL world is in Indianapolis for the combine this week, it’s been heavily rumored that the Patriots would take a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick. After multiple reports emerged Thursday that the Patriots plan to take a quarterback with their top pick, but that plan “has not been communicated throughout the Patriots’ front office,” the Boston Herald‘s Doug Kyed and Andrew Callahan reported.

If the Patriots plan to take a quarterback though with the No. 3 pick, Daniels has been the player who’s most commonly been linked to the team in mock drafts. The LSU quarterback had a major ascension in 2023, throwing for 3,812 yards, rushing for 1,135 yards, and scoring a combined 50 touchdowns en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. The strong season has helped Daniels be viewed among draft evaluators in a similar vein as Maye and USC’s Caleb Williams as top-tier quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Patriots seem to share that thinking as well. The team views all three quarterbacks as players “worthy of the third pick,” according to Kyed and Callahan.

All three quarterbacks, along with other top quarterback prospects J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix, have said they’ve met with the Patriots so far at the combine. Daniels said his meeting with the Patriots was “good,” as he seemed open to the idea of being drafted by New England.

“Yeah it would be dope,” Daniels told reporters when asked if he’d like to be drafted by the Patriots. “Obviously growing up and seeing what Tom Brady did there, six Super Bowls, that’s tough to live up to. But it would be dope to come in there and see the success they had and help them get back on that track.”

Daniels has been “impressive” in his interviews with teams at the combine, according to Howe.

If the Commanders throw a curveball and select Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick, the Patriots would likely be able to draft Maye, who seemed excited by the prospect of playing under Jerod Mayo.

“I was really impressed with them,” Maye said. “Coach Mayo first – I congratulated him, too. Any time a new head coach, it’s a pretty cool experience. So just being in there, New England’s obviously a great sports town.

“So I thought it went well. I think New England’s a great spot.”

If the Patriots decided to be bold and trade up to get the No. 1 overall pick, they’d likely do it to select Williams. The USC quarterback shared some details on what the Patriots asked him during his meeting with the team.

“The Patriots were cool. The room wasn’t packed. They asked me questions about life, about ball,” Williams said. ” … It was a good impression. They were asking me questions about my life, and about football. Testing me and things like that.”

If the Patriots wanted to be bold in the other direction and trade down, it’s possible that McCarthy could be their option at quarterback with their top draft pick. The Michigan product gave high praise to the organization following his meeting with the team.

“It went amazing,” McCarthy said. “Coach Mayo was just an awesome guy, asking really great questions. You could definitely tell he’s been around this process a long time and been a part of it. Just great interactions.

“It would be an honor to be part of their organization.”

The Patriots will get more opportunities to meet with the perceived top three quarterbacks down the line as none of them opted to work out at the combine. They’ll have chances to scout them at their pro days and host them in Foxborough for top-30 visits.