Should the Patriots draft Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye? NFL Draft expert weighs in

Patriots

“Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye wouldn’t be on top of each other.”

Drake Maye is projected to be a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. (AP Photo/John Bzemore)

The Patriots will have plenty of options when they hit the clock during the 2024 NFL Draft.

With the No. 3 overall pick, New England is in prime position to select a coveted quarterback prospect, whether it’s reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels or UNC signal-caller Drake Maye.

But which QB should Patriots fans expect to fall into Foxborough’s hands with that third pick?

For most of the last few months, Maye has been the projected No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. But ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. changed the order in his latest mock draft: He predicted Daniels would be the Commanders’ pick. at No. 2, with Maye landing with the Patriots at No. 3.

Speaking on MassLive’s “Eye on Foxborough” podcast, NFL Media draft expert Daniel Jeremiah gave his opinion on where USC’s Daniels, Maye and Caleb Williams line up on the draft leaderboard.

While Jeremiah noted that the consensus in league circles is that Williams will be taken with the first overall pick, he believes there isn’t much separating Daniels and Maye as top-tier prospects.

“You’re putting players in groups,” Jeremiah explained. “We use the phrase, a couple of times there are two players who are going to ‘travel together’ during the process. So they are there. This boy or that boy. If in the old days you had cards on the wall (everything is on the computer now), but if you had the magnets and put them there, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye wouldn’t be stacked on top of each other.

“Their cards would be next to each other. You’d say okay, these guys will travel as we go through everything, in terms of whether they’re in an all-star game, (NFL) Combine, Pro Days, visits, all that, and then we. We’ll figure it out as we go.”

As happens every winter, mock drafts conducted in January tend to look very different than what actually unfolds in late April. Still, Jeremiah doesn’t expect a balanced quarterback like Williams to suddenly abandon that No. 1 spot and upset the entire draft order.

“I have (Williams) a level above right now, but that doesn’t mean those other guys can’t catch him since you’re learning more about them through the process,” Jeremiah said. “I haven’t been told anything that would scare me away from Caleb, but you are always open to the fact that the draft is several months away and there is information to gather and correct.”

While Maye has received plenty of praise as a prospect thanks to his arm strength and pro frame, Daniels could boast a higher ceiling as a dual-threat option at the next level.

Last week, Kiper compared Daniels to Lamar Jackson and Randall Cunningham if he reaches his potential in the NFL ranks.

But which one would be best for the Patriots? Jeremiah believes both can make an impact in 2024 and beyond, but it will all depend on the personnel around them on the field.

“If you tell me now these two guys are going to a place where they’re going to be protected and they’re going to have a really solid play-caller and they’re going to have at least a couple of playmakers around them. “I would feel very confident in saying both guys are going to be successful,” Jeremiah said. “It’s just hard for rookie quarterbacks to have that luxury because usually the teams that go to the top of the draft have a pretty flawed roster.”

As for a possible scenario in which New England opts to take arguably the safest pick at No. 3: Ohio State star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.?

“I would go, young quarterback, veteran receiver. “I think those veteran receivers really benefit and help a young quarterback,” Jeremiah added. “I’d feel like, ‘Man, I don’t want to be back here two years from now and we’re in the exact same place.’ Maybe I get two years out of Kirk Cousins ​​and that’s great, but then we start all over again.’