Patriots keeping draft options open, but can't pass on chance to take QB

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said this weekend that the team is keeping all of its options open in the draft, and is not necessarily set on taking a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft.

Quarterback is almost universally regarded to be the Patriots' biggest need this offseason after officially giving up on 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones and trading him to the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Given how top-heavy 2024 NFL Draft class is with quarterbacks, it seems to be a given that the Patriots would take advantage of that.

But Mayo said that may not necessarily be the case, and that the team has a great veteran leader in Jacoby Brissett if they needed to start him.

"It's the priority right now," Mayo said, via NFL.com. "But with that being said, you have to really be in love with the guy to take him at No. 3. So really all the options are still open for us.

"A guy like Jacoby, he's a great leader. Everyone loves him. To get him back in the building is definitely helpful for us. And honestly, look, he could absolutely be our starter this year. We'll have to see. Like I said, we're not dead set at taking a quarterback at No. 3, but we do feel good having a guy like Jacoby ready to go."

A lot of this could be just pre-draft smokescreens and not trying to tip their hands too much.

Or perhaps a case in trying to drum up trade interest in the pick.

But when it comes time to make a decision on that pick the Patriots should think long and hard before they do anything other than taking a quarterback. Everything in the NFL runs through the position, and it is almost impossible to seriously compete for a championship without high level play at the position. 

Nobody should know that as well as the Patriots. They were the gold standard for title contention during the Tom Brady era, but have struggled since he left the team with a 29-38 record in the four years since while cycling through a collection of mediocre quarterbacks. 

Teams do not often find themselves in a position where it has a top-three pick in the draft, especially in a class where there are at least three quarterbacks worthy of a pick at the top of the draft. 

With USC's Caleb Williams expected to go to the Chicago Bears at No. 1 overall, the Patriots could be looking at a choice of either North Carolina's Drake Maye or LSU's Jayden Daniels depending on who the Washington Commanders take. 

There might be some temptation to take one of the top wide receivers in that spot, or perhaps even trade back for more draft picks, but unless they have a quarterback nothing else is going to work in the short-term or long-term. 

Quarterback should be the pick for the Patriots.