Schrager: Patriots 'Loved' Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels amid NFL Draft 2024 Rumors

The New England Patriots are arguably the first major inflection point of the 2024 NFL draft as owners of the No. 3 overall pick, so their reported interest in two quarterbacks will be of interest to teams that might be looking to trade up.

Per NFL.com's Peter Schrager, Patriots brass "loved" both Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels after their recent meetings with both players.

There has been a lot of smoke around what the Patriots might do in the draft. Taking a quarterback seems like the obvious move, especially since their current depth chart features Jacoby Brissett, Bailey Zappe and Nathan Rourke.

Brissett has proven himself to be a capable starter when he's been given the chance, but there's also a reason he's been with five different teams as he enters his ninth NFL season.

Given the current state of New England's roster, there's an argument to be made the team would be better off trading down to accrue more picks and fill out other spots with high-upside players before adding a young quarterback into a situation more conducive to having success.

Of course, the Patriots understand the value of the quarterbacks in this class and reportedly have a high price set if they are going to move down.

NBC Sports Boston's Tom Curran recently reported the Patriots want "a lot more" than three first-round picks to move off the No. 3 pick. This could be usual pre-draft posturing that goes on with teams, but if their strong feelings for Daniels and Maye are genuine, it wouldn't be a surprise if they take one of them.

It's a virtual certainty that at least one of Daniels or Maye will be on the board when their turn comes up. Caleb Williams feels locked in at No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears.

The Washington Commanders at No. 2 have been heavily linked to Daniels, but there has been growing speculation they really like Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

If the Commanders go with McCarthy, the Patriots will get to choose between Maye or Daniels.

It would be a perfect scenario in what is going to be the first major move for new head coach Jerod Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf.