NFL Draft Rumors: Patriots Seek More Than 3 1st-Round Picks to Trade Down from No. 3

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The New England Patriots would need to receive “a lot more” than three first-round picks in order to trade down from the No. 3 selection in the 2024 NFL draft, according to NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran.

Curran doesn’t believe the Patriots would accept a hypothetical deal from the Minnesota Vikings that includes the No. 11 and No. 23 picks of the 2024 draft, in addition to a 2025 first-rounder, for the third pick.

“From what I’m hearing, it’s going to take a lot more than that for the Patriots to be moved off their spot, because they as a team collectively understand the opportunity that these three quarterbacks represent at the top of the draft,” Curran said Thursday on the Patriots Talk Podcast.

Any team interested in drafting USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels or North Carolina’s Drake Maye will likely need to hold one of the top three picks.

The Vikings, who need a new franchise quarterback to replace Kirk Cousins, have been connected with the Patriots’ No. 3 pick ever since Minnesota’s move to acquire draft capital last month.

The Vikings sent three draft picks, including the No. 42 selection of this year’s draft, to the Houston Texans on March 15 for the upcoming No. 23 pick.

With the No. 11 selection in hand, the Vikings have a pair of first-round picks that seemingly would allow them to move farther up the draft.

If that was the plan, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has now run into an obstacle in the form of exorbitant price tags.

In a quarterback mock draft published on April 4 by ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordan Reid, the Vikings packaged the trio of first-round picks in a deal with the Arizona Cardinals to move up to No. 4 and draft Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

That projection shows how costly moving up to the top of this draft has become. Top drafters know they have leverage and that those interested in adding a quarterback projected to succeed as a first-year starter will need to select at least within the first six picks.

The Patriots have even more power in a potential trade because they hold a higher pick, and they need a future franchise QB.

If New England doesn’t find that signal-caller in the draft, it’ll likely have to find him on the open market. That means the team will be looking for all the trade fodder it can get in any potential deal for the No. 3 pick.

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