With the Bears all but certain to start the draft with Caleb Williams and the Commanders pointing toward taking Jayden Daniels at No. 2, the Patriots have the inside track to Drake Maye. If the Pats felt comfortable enough with the two-year North Carolina starter, trade buzz would be moot.
Three days away from the draft, however, trade noise persists around New England. De facto GM Eliot Wolf has held trade talks (with Jonathan Kraft a key part of the process), and other teams have been connected to having Maye interest. The Pats also have fans of both Maye and J.J. McCarthy in the building, opening the door to another team snagging the ex-Tar Heel.
The Vikings may well covet Maye more than the Patriots do, with the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin believing Minnesota wants Maye more than New England. New Vikings QBs coach Josh McCown mentored Maye in high school, and the Sam Howell North Carolina successor worked out for the team recently.
That said, the Vikings’ trade-up quest may not be a Maye-or-bust mission. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said the team is comfortable with multiple QBs, echoing remarks the 49ers made when they traded up for Trey Lance in 2021. The third-year Minnesota GM may have been genuine here, as SI.com’s Albert Breer notes the Vikings do appear more comfortable with a larger swath of this year’s QB prospects compared to other teams. This is due to the pieces the team has in place. While the QB who lands in New England will not have an upper-tier skill-position corps to work with and will be going to a team without a left tackle answer (as of now), the Vikings employ Pro Bowl LT Christian Darrisaw to go with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.
Minnesota has also been connected to a trade-up effort with Arizona at No. 4; among the three teams that have contacted the Cardinals about their pick, it is safe to assume Adofo-Mensah and Monti Ossenfort have spoken regarding a trade. The Vikings have Sam Darnold in place as a bridge, but ownership may well be pushing for a post-Kirk Cousins long-term answer this year. This would make Darnold a candidate to be benched early in the season, given how teams usually proceed with first-round arms.
If the Patriots are truly willing to let go of No. 3, an acquiring team would then have its pick of Maye or McCarthy. And the Vikings will not be the only team high on Maye. While McCarthy-Giants smoke has emerged, they are believed to be higher on Maye. In fact, Breer adds Maye leads…