Jerod Mayo: Patriots Will Draft 'Best Player for a Position That's Very Important'

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo may have just dropped a major hint regarding the franchise's plans for the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

"What I will say is this, we're going to draft the best player for a position that is very important, " Mayo said in a one-on-one interview with WBZ-TV's Steve Burton following his introductory press conference on Wednesday (1:16 mark). "You put the pieces together."

The Patriots have a number of areas in need of upgrades entering the 2024 season, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

However, the quarterback position is arguably the franchise's most pressing need, and it's hard to envision the organization sticking with a tandem of Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe moving forward.

Jones, a 2021 first-round pick, put together the worst season of his fledgling career in 2023, completing 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,120 yards and 10 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in 11 games. He was benched multiple times and led the Patriots to a 2-9 record before being benched for good after a Week 12 loss to the New York Giants.

Zappe, a 2022 fourth-round selection, wasn't much better. He completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 1,272 yards and six touchdowns against nine interceptions in 10 games. New England went 2-4 in his six starts.

In part due to the quarterback issues, the Patriots finished the 2023 campaign with a 4-13 record, which was their worst finish in more than two decades.

The franchise then announced it mutually agreed to part ways with head coach Bill Belichick after 24 seasons, 17 AFC East titles, nine AFC championships and six Super Bowl titles. Mayo, the team's former linebackers coach, was announced as Belichick's replacement and no head coaching search was conducted.

There is no shortage of quarterbacks in the 2024 draft class, though it's possible the Patriots miss out on USC's Caleb Williams and UNC's Drake Maye as both the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders could be in the market for a signal-caller with the No. 1 and No. 2 picks, respectively.

Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department lists Maye and Williams as the top two quarterbacks available in this year's draft. LSU's Jayden Daniels, Oregon's Bo Nix, Washington's Michael Penix Jr. and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy are also listed among the top signal-callers available.

With the draft still a few months away, fans could get some more clarity on who the Patriots are targeting with the third overall pick closer to the start of the first round.