The "trade down" talk isn't dying down with just days until the 2024 NFL Draft.
The New England Patriots are currently "listening and taking calls" from teams regarding their No. 3 overall pick, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Monday. Additionally, team president Jonathan Kraft is "heavily involved in the decision-making."
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Russini's report seemingly confirms the Patriots are "open for business" regarding their draft picks, as de facto general manager Eliot Wolf stated last week.
"We're open to anything; moving up, moving down," Wolf told reporters. "We're open for business in the first round and in every round.
"We have some holes we feel like we need to fill in the draft, and we're a draft-and-develop team. The more picks we have the better, but if we feel like there's an opportunity to move up and strike if the board kind of recommends it, then we won't be afraid to pull the trigger on it, either."
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The teams looking to trade into the top three -- the Minnesota Vikings chief among them -- must be willing to pay a hefty price. Our Tom E. Curran recently estimated the haul it would take for New England to part ways with its prized No. 3 selection.
"I keep circling back to, it's gotta be three first-round picks, meaning Minnesota at Nos. 11 and 23, and their first-round pick from 2025," Curran said on a recent Patriots Talk Podcast episode. "From what I'm hearing, it's going to take a lot more than that for the Patriots to be moved off their spot. Because they as a team collectively understand the opportunity that these three quarterbacks represent at the top of the draft."
If the Patriots stand pat at No. 3, they'll likely pick one of the top quarterbacks in the class: LSU's Jayden Daniels, UNC's Drake Maye, or Michigan's J.J. McCarthy. While QB is undoubtedly the biggest need on the roster, the entire offense needs an overhaul, and acquiring several high draft picks could expedite the rebuild process.
The good news for those clamoring for the Patriots to take a quarterback at No. 3 is that it's also team owner Robert Kraft's preference. If Jonathan Kraft is heavily involved in the decision, as Russini reports, drafting a QB still seems like the most probable outcome.
Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft is set for Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.