The New England Patriots said leading up to the NFL Draft that they would need to be blown away in order to trade the third overall pick, and we now have a better idea of what they meant by that.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss published a story on Monday that detailed how the Patriots arrived at their decision to draft former UNC star quarterback Drake Maye. According to Reiss, at least two teams — the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants — tried to acquire the No. 3 overall pick from New England.
The Vikings had both the No. 11 and No. 23 overall picks in the draft. They reportedly offered both of those selections and an additional 2025 first-round pick to the Patriots for No. 3 and two of New England’s mid-round selections. The Giants had the No. 6 pick, and they offered that plus a 2025 first-round pick for No. 3.
The Patriots declined both offers.
Minnesota’s offer in particular shows how highly the Patriots value Maye. Eliot Wolf, New England’s de facto general manager, acknowledged before the draft that the team had multiple needs to fill and would be willing to listen to offers for any of their picks. There was also a report that the Patriots wanted to acquire additional draft capital by trading down from No. 3 and then moving back up the board to get a quarterback.
If the Patriots felt Maye and JJ McCarthy (whom the Vikings took after trading up to No. 10) were equals, they probably would have taken Minnesota’s offer. It would also stand to reason that both the Giants and Vikings wanted Maye, which is why they tried to acquire the No. 3 pick.
Even if Maye is not guaranteed to start right away, he is clearly viewed as a potential franchise cornerstone in New England.
