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The New England Patriots could draft like it’s 1993 if a three-team trade proposal comes to fruition by April 25.
New England could acquire the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft and most likely choose highly-touted USC quarterback Caleb Williams, similar to when the Patriots took former Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe at No. 1 in 1993.
K.D. Drummond of USA Today’s Cowboys Wire lays out how the Patriots could acquire the pick in a rare three-team deal with the Chicago Bears, owner of the No. 1 pick, and the Dallas Cowboys:
It starts with the Patriots trading the No. 3 pick, the No. 68 pick, and the 2025 first-round pick, and 2025 fourth-round pick to the Bears for the No. 1 pick.
Chicago then would trade the Patriots’ 2025 No. 1 and the No. 9 pick plus a 2025 third-round pick to the Cowboys for quarterback Dak Prescott.
Dallas receives Bears quarterback Justin Fields but also takes LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the No. 9 pick in the draft.
Williams gives the Patriots a generational talent at quarterback under a new coaching regime in Foxborough. Patriots quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe didn’t pan out in 2023 as the New England offense sputtered to 13.9 points per game.
Drafting the 6-foot-1, 218-pound 2022 Heisman Trophy winner could change everything for the Patriots. He threw for 10,082 yards and 93 touchdowns versus 14 interceptions plus 966 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns in three full college seasons.
Patriots Landing Caleb Williams is Worth the Risk, Insider Says
Paying the price to land Williams looks worth it to Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal.
“You look at the playoffs right now, I know [Brock] Purdy is the guy who doesn’t fit the mold but everybody else, they’re first-round picks,” Giardi said on “Arbella Early Edition” on Tuesday.
“These are guys that you built your team around, they’re franchise guys, I think you need that. You just went through the process for the guy we thought was pretty good and it turned out the last two years he wasn’t good at all. You don’t wait,” Giardi added.
Williams won in college amid an 11-2 record at Oklahoma in 2021 before he transferred to USC. He led the Trojans to an 11-3 record in 2022 and an 8-5 record in 2023 with a team that put up 41.8 points per game but struggled mightily on defense with 34.4 points per game allowed.
“The cost is gonna be high, but at least you’re at three,” Giardia said. “If you’re going to two, it’s probably not going to cost as much. If you’re going to one, it’s probably not going to cost as much. But if I believe that Caleb Williams is light years ahead of Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, I make the phone call.”
Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye Could Thrive in New England Instead
NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry debated that point on Williams being “light years ahead of ” the 6-foot-3 Daniels and 6-foot-5 Maye. Both Daniels and Maye have athleticism and strengths on the field, and they led winning teams in college.
Daniels won the Heisman in 2023 as he threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns versus four interceptions plus his 1,134 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns — all following solid seasons between 2019 and 2022 in college.
Maye threw for 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 30 career games, and he has a run dimension to his game amid 1,209 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career.
“I just don’t think that’s the case. I don’t think there is a huge chasm that separates all three of these guys. I think they’re all legitimate No. 1 overall types of quarterbacks had it been a different year,” Perry told Giardi.
“And so, to me, it’s not just a few picks. You also have to look at where this team is. You’re talking about giving up a future second, a future first, a current second potentially just to move up and get a guy who might be marginally better than the guy who gets to you at three. At that point, you have to play the game,” Perry added. “There are way too many pieces on this roster that you need right now.”
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