Patriots listening to teams looking to trade for No. 3 pick in NFL Draft: Sources

The New England Patriots are listening and taking calls from teams looking to move up to the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, league sources said.

Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf is running point but New England president Jonathan Kraft is heavily involved in the decision making, according to those sources.

Last week, Wolf, the man tapped by owner Robert Kraft to have final say in the Patriots’ front office, was rather blunt in addressing the team’s interest in trading back.

“We’re open for business,” Wolf said Thursday.

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But Robert Kraft badly wants the team to come away from the draft with a quarterback, which could complicate those discussions. Kraft made that clear at the league meetings last month. So even if the Patriots trade out of the No. 3 spot, they could still pursue a quarterback — potentially even by trying to trade back up for Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.

That factor though is why the Pats feel comfortable sticking at No. 3 and picking a quarterback. It would probably take a big offer — “a bag,” as coach Jerod Mayo called it a few weeks ago — to get the Pats to trade back.

GO DEEPER

Eliot Wolf: Patriots would ‘be comfortable with’ any of top QBs in NFL Draft

The Athletic’s most recent Patriots mock draft has New England selecting North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3.

New England is entering its first draft without longtime head coach Bill Belichick, who parted ways with the franchise after 24 seasons. The Patriots enter this draft with several needs after a 4-13 season, with quarterback near the top. New England traded former starter Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this year and enters the week with Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe atop its depth chart.

Required reading
NFL Draft 2024 ‘The Beast’ Guide: Dane Brugler’s scouting reports and player rankings
New England Patriots NFL Draft 2024 guide: Picks, predictions and key needs
Best-case scenario for the Patriots in the NFL Draft: Drake Maye, then filling other holes
(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)

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