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The New England Patriots could acquire three first round picks by trading the No. 3 pick to the Minnesota Vikings next week.
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan broke down how his proposed trade could work in the Patriots’ favor. The Patriots would land the No. 11 and No. 23 picks from the Vikings this year plus a 2025 first round pick in exchange for the No. 3 pick this year.
“Minnesota has been a popular trade-up candidate throughout the pre-draft cycle, particularly when it acquired the No. 23 overall pick in a trade with the [Houston] Texans,” Sullivan wrote. “That gave the Vikings another piece of ammunition to use as they look to move inside the top five and bring aboard a successor to [quarterback] Kirk Cousins, who left in free agency.”
“For New England, it is not simply a quarterback away from getting back into contention, with drastic needs at left tackle and wide receiver,” Sullivan continued. “So, if [Eliot] Wolf takes a realistic look at his roster, it’s possible he will come away with the conclusion that the smarter move for a multi-year rebuild is to accumulate picks.”
“Under this scenario, the Patriots would still have a viable shot at a QB prospect [Michael Penix Jr.?] at No. 11 and could use No. 23 to address another position of need. They’d also have what could prove to be a valuable first-rounder in 2025 depending on how quickly Minnesota can or cannot turn things around in a rapidly more competitive NFC North,” Sullivan concluded.
Minnesota missed the playoffs last season, and the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions could make it all the more challenging this year. If the Vikings miss the playoffs again, the Patriots could easily have a top-20 first round pick no matter what next year.
Patriots Hosted Michael Penix Jr. Recently
To Sullivan’s point on Penix, the Patriots hosted the former Washington star for dinner on Monday and a top-30 visit on Tuesday. Penix is easily one of the best passers in the draft after a 63.3% completion rate, 13,741 yards and 96 touchdowns in college.
“When Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf discussed all the quarterback prospects, they talked about the toughness and it’s absolutely indispensable to have physical and mental resilience when they get here,” NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran said on Monday. “So Penix to me, if you end up trading down and getting Michael Penix and having artillery to fill wide receiver, offensive tackle, cornerback, edge, all those places or most of them, that’s awesome. That’s great.”
Michael Penix Jr. May Not be the Only QB Option at No. 11
Penix also isn’t the Patriots’ only quarterback option at No. 11. It’s possible for Oregon’s Bo Nix or Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy to slide that far — albeit unlikely. McCarthy and Nix could easily go in the top 10 of this quarterback-rich draft.
“In many ways, the Patriots should not be able to go wrong in this draft. They could screw it up after the player gets here, but the player they select is going to be worthy of being an NFL starting quarterback,” Curran said.
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