​The 2024 NFL Draft enabled the New England Patriots to pick Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall selection, a decision that proved to be franchise-defining. Yet looking back, his draft position might have looked different in hindsight, opening the door to speculation about how things could have unfolded under a different set of circumstances for a Mike Vrabel-led team. In a 2024 NFL redraft for CBS Sports, Zachary Pereles envisions the Patriots selecting Jayden Daniels at No. 3 instead of Maye. Pereles offered a wry caveat: if this article had appeared at roughly the same juncture last year, Daniels might have been the top pick. Instead, he lands at No. 3, a drop that comes with a heavy dose of sarcasm, even while acknowledging that all three quarterbacks discussed—Maye, Daniels, and Caleb Williams—are exceptional talents.
Daniels, who ultimately went behind Maye (No. 1 to the Chicago Bears) and Williams (No. 2 to the Washington Commanders), has already carved out a noteworthy career early on. In the 2024 season, Daniels guided the Commanders to an appearance in the NFC Championship Game during his rookie year, throwing for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns. While Maye propelled the Patriots to a Super Bowl berth last season, thanks in large part to his own MVP-level production, Daniels stands as another elite young quarterback with the potential to lead a franchise deep into the playoffs and to offer a level of value comparable to what Maye brings to New England.
Daniels’ quick ascent is a reminder of how a single draft decision could have altered the trajectory of the Patriots’ recent history, even if the realities of the league are rarely so simple. The hypothetical scenario underscores the ongoing debate about how much weight to give to a quarterback’s draft position versus the actual results on the field. Maye’s impact on the Patriots’ offense has been substantial, and his form has helped the team reach the highest stage. Yet Daniels’ early success with another organization suggests that different engineering of the quarterback room could have yielded divergent outcomes for New England, especially when considering the surrounding support, injuries, and development curves that accompany young passers.
As the Patriots move forward, both Daniels’ and Maye’s journeys illustrate the high variance involved in evaluating quarterback prospects. Daniels’ early achievements, including a deep playoff push as a rookie, indicate that the talent pool at the position runs deep, and that teams can still achieve playoff or even Super Bowl-level results with different connections of coaching, weapons, and protection. For Patriots fans who followed the saga closely, the notion of a No. 3 pick turning out to be Jayden Daniels instead of Drake Maye serves as a fascinating what-if—one that emphasizes how quickly fortunes can shift in the NFL draft and in the broader construction of a championship-caliber roster. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook to stay updated on the latest developments and analysis surrounding these choices.
This discussion originally appeared on Patriots Wire in an article exploring the hypothetical 2024 NFL redraft, where Jayden Daniels is selected No. 3 overall for purposes of SEO and broader reach.