Daniel Jeremiah Endorses Patriots Going QB over Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2024 NFL Draft

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 23, 2024

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NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah expressed his belief that the New England Patriots should use the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on a quarterback.

Speaking to the media during a pre-NFL Scouting Combine conference call (h/t NFL.com’s Dan Parr), Jeremiah said the following when asked if he feels the Pats should take a quarterback or explore another option such as Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.:

“To me, it would be tough to pass on a quarterback. You’re not guaranteed to be up [at No. 3] again. … Just being in that stadium last year, it was kind of—I didn’t recognize it. Obviously, the team wasn’t good. But there had been so much energy and juice in that building every other time I had been there, and it was just so flat. It wasn’t just a bad team, it was a boring team. There was no juice, no excitement whatsoever. Whichever [quarterback] is there, if it’s any one of those top three quarterbacks, those guys would bring so much energy and life to your franchise. It just feels right. You’ve got new leadership in place. It’s kind of like this whole new chapter for the New England Patriots.

“I love Marvin Harrison Jr. I love him. He is a great player, but it would hard with where they’re set up right now at that position to pass up a quarterback.”

As the draft approaches, it is widely expected that at least three quarterbacks will come off the board early in the first round in the form of USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels.

The Pats have been searching for answers at quarterback ever since future Hall of Famer Tom Brady departed following the 2019 season.

In four years since then, the Patriots gave veteran Cam Newton one season as the starter, then they selected Mac Jones in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft and he was the primary starter for three seasons.

New England made the playoffs once during the four-year stretch, and in 2023 it went just 4-13, which was the team’s worst record during Bill Belichick’s 24-year tenure as head coach.

The nightmarish season, which featured brutal quarterback play from Jones, led to Belichick and the Patriots mutually agreeing to part ways. He was replaced by former Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo.

New England could conceivably go in a different direction if it signs someone like Kirk Cousins or Baker Mayfield in free agency, or if it trades for Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, but the Patriots need a long-term answer under center.

Passing on Harrison could back to haunt them since he is widely viewed as the top wide receiver in a stacked wideout class, and he is coming off back-to-back collegiate seasons with over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns.

However, if the Pats don’t have anyone to get him the ball consistently, picking a weapon like Harrison perhaps wouldn’t do them much good.