Will the Vikings trade up to No. 3 with New England? Three thoughts from a Patriots insider

The Vikings need a quarterback, and every signal they have given since the end of the season suggests they intend to choose one very high in next week’s draft.

The problem, of course, is that other teams also want to pick quarterbacks in what is considered a very strong draft for that position. Namely: The first three picks in the draft are held by the Bears, Commanders and Patriots, all of whom need QBs.

There is no chance the Bears trade away the chance to draft Caleb Williams No. 1 overall. There is little chance the Commanders move off the No. 2 pick. But there have been consistent rumblings that the Patriots might consider a deal for the No. 3 pick.

To get a better handle on that possibility, I talked to Tom Curran — a Patriots insider for NBC Sports Boston — on Wednesday’s Daily Delivery podcast.

Here are my three biggest takeaways from that conversation:

*Why would New England even consider making the deal? The Patriots need a quarterback. They have a draft pick that ensures they can get a quarterback. So why is a trade even a possibility?

Curran gave two good reasons. First, New England has a lot of needs. The Patriots finished 4-13 last season and if they are being honest they are in the early stages of a rebuild. Getting multiple first-round picks (just how many is a subject for the next item) might be more valuable than choosing a QB now.

Second, which feeds off the first reason: The Patriots saw what happened to QB Mac Jones when they lacked the support around him. A productive rookie for a playoff team in 2021 turned into a lost cause by 2023, in part because the rest of the roster was in decline.

“They brought it on themselves,” Curran said. “That’s part of the reason Bill Belichick is visiting colleges right now.”

What would it cost the Vikings to move up to No. 3? Curran suggested that informal conversations with the Patriots lead him to believe it would cost the Vikings the No. 11 and 23 picks this season, next year’s first round pick AND another pick, perhaps even another future first rounder, to move up to No. 3.

“I don’t know if that’s their official stance within the (draft) war room, but I think that’s probably what they’re doing now,” Curran said.

In essence, it will take “a Godfather” type of offer, Curran said.

Which quarterback do the Patriots actually want? An interesting wrinkle to all this is that my assumption (and most mock drafts) have the Patriots choosing Drake Maye No. 3 if they keep the pick. It is also assumed that the Vikings would take Maye if they move up to No. 3. But Curran made it sound like it might not be such a slam dunk on the New England side.

“To me, I feel like it’s a coin flip between Maye and J.J. McCarthy,” he said.

If Maye is the QB the Vikings want the most, and it turns out he’s still available at No. 4 (Arizona) or No. 5 (Chargers) because the Patriots take McCarthy, it could make a trade for the Vikings a little easier.