Patriots reportedly rate ‘high’ on Jayden Daniels

Although Daniels still remains the favorite to be the No. 2 pick, the LSU quarterback has interest in playing for the Raiders and Vikings, according to Fowler. However, Daniels knows he can’t control who selects him and is “ready to go” wherever he is drafted. Schefter reported Friday.

Regardless of what the Commanders do with the No. 2 pick, the Patriots will have one of Daniels or Maye at their disposal at No. 3. With the Patriots holding the final ticket to drafting one of the perceived top three quarterbacks, trade rumors continue to swirl. However, they have not yet been “wooed” by a commercial offer, according to Fowler.

Patriots director of scouting and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf made similar comments when speaking with reporters at the Patriots’ pre-draft press conference earlier in the week. Although he said the team was “open for business” with all of its draft picks, he said the team had not received an offer that could be considered a “bag” for the pick #3.

Obviously, things can change by Thursday. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell appeared to acknowledge his team was looking to recruit a quarterback during a conference at a Minnesota church Thursday. He even went so far as to joke that he sent Robert Kraft a bouquet of flowers for a possible trade from No. 11 to No. 3.

JJ McCarthy is also still present. The Michigan quarterback has been a top-five pick in the majority of recent mock drafts, with some predicting the Patriots will draft him third overall.

There have been numerous reports that New England is interested in McCarthy to some extent, including one earlier in April suggesting that Wolf is a big fan of the quarterback. The team hosted McCarthy on a pre-draft visit more than two days earlier in the week, making him one of four quarterbacks (Daniels, Maye, Michael Penix Jr.) to head to New England as part of the pre-draft process.