Head coach Jerod Mayo claims that “the guaranteed way to win is to accumulate more picks.”
When head coach Jerod Mayo began his process of potentially finding the New England Patriots next quarterback, he believed the NFL Draft could produce a trio of options. Now further along into his process, that list has grown.
“When I first started watching these guys, it was a three-man race,” Mayo told reporters Monday morning at the NFL’s annual league meetings in Orlando, Florida.
“As you continue to go to these Pro Days and bring guys in on the 30 visits, having time to spend with those guys to really get to know what makes them tick, it’s about five guys honestly that could come in and be a solid quarterback in the future.”
As Mayo and his staff continue to work through the evaluations of each quarterback, they are leaving all options on the table. While the position remains the biggest hole on the roster, forcing the pick is where teams can get in trouble. That leaves the door open to a potential trade down which would allow New England to add additional assets to try and fill several holes.
“If we take a quarterback at 3, that means we are convicted that this player is really the future of this organization,” Mayo said. “We want to fill those holes [on our roster]. If you can gather more picks, that definitely helps you out… The more [picks] that you really have the more likelihood that you have to really hit on them.”
He also added: “If someone offers a bag, as we would say, a lot of first-round picks, we definitely have to talk about those things as we continue to put together the team. Honestly, the guaranteed way to win is to accumulate more picks. So, if we don’t feel convicted at number three, we are willing to do that as well.”
If the Patriots do stand pat, the focus then shifts back to that group of quarterbacks. While Mayo would not reveal his list of five, USC’s Caleb Williams, UNC’s Drake Maye, and LSU’s Jayden Daniels remain the consensus top three options. And based of New England’s presence at recent Pro Days, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy should be considered the fourth while Oregon’s Bo Nix could possibly rank fifth.
With the No. 3 overall pick, New England’s decision would likely come down to either Maye or Daniels — with McCarthy perhaps serving as a dark horse. The Patriots met with Maye in person at the NFL Combine last month and the North Carolina product left a strong impression.
“Drake Maye had a fantastic interview at the combine. He brings a lot of energy. You can tell he has that leadership ability,” Mayo said. “Also the exciting part about a guy like Drake Maye, there is really no ceiling with a guy like that. In saying that, when we’re trying to put together this roster, I know a lot of people look at the ceiling. But you also have to look at how low is the floor.
“I would say a guy like Drake Maye — he has a lot of room to grow. He’s a young guy. Honestly, he hasn’t played football nearly as much as these other guys. So that’s definitely something we’ve looked at, but he’s definitely going to develop.”
As for Daniels, Mayo shared he talked to the quarterback on a Zoom call while in Indianapolis. The head coach will get an in-person look at Daniels later this week however, as he will attend LSU’s (and UNC’s) Pro Day with Eliot Wolf and a Patriots contingent.
“Jayden Daniels, I was on Zoom with him, but I met him before,” Mayo said. “Those guys have Pro Days coming up here soon. When I leave here, I’m going to LSU, and then I’m going to Carolina before I go back home. You have to do your due diligence.”
With one month until the draft, New England still has time to sort through their process. If that ultimately ends with conviction in one quarterback prospect, though, Mayo believes the current roster and coaching staff is “100 percent” ready to support them. That includes learning from their failures from their last first-round pick at the position in Mac Jones.
“One thing I did learn about that process was as you continue to develop a quarterback, it’s not only the players you put around him but also the coaches you put around this guy,” Mayo said. “To support a guy who plays the most important position in sports and to ask him as a rookie to come in, it’s always going to be tough. … Just supporting a quarterback is one of the biggest things.”