Patriots double draft trade scenario floated as possibility

Where it gets tricky though is that the Patriots might be stuck in no man’s land at No. 11. If the Vikings take Maye at No. 3, it isn’t a guarantee that McCarthy will fall to No. 11 as the New York Giants have been rumored to have interest picking the Michigan quarterback at No. 6.

So, that’s where the double trade would come into play. There is a recent precedent of the team drafting at No. 3 trading down before trading back up. In 2021, the Miami Dolphins received three first-round picks for the No. 3 pick from the San Francisco 49ers but traded back up from the No. 12 pick to the No. 6 pick. Last year, the Arizona Cardinals moved down from No. 3 to No. 12, receiving an early second-round pick and a future first-round pick in the process. However, they traded back up to No. 6, giving the Detroit Lions a second-round pick and fifth-round pick while also getting back a third-round pick.

What Eliot Wolf, Robert Kraft have said about the Patriots making a trade, drafting QB

While Wolf told reporters last week that the team is listening to trade calls for the No. 3 pick, they’ve yet to receive an offer that qualifies as a “bag.” Wolf added that teams have until the Patriots are on the clock to send in their best offer.

Still, Kraft’s presence might prevent such a move from happening. The Patriots owner told reporters in March that he’d like to see the team draft a “top-rate, young quarterback.” Obviously, staying at No. 3 would be the best way to make that happen.

As for which quarterback the Patriots favor, Wolf didn’t tip his hand when discussing the quarterbacks last week. However, he said he would be “comfortable” drafting any of the perceived top four quarterback prospects when asked.