Jerod Mayo stresses importance of Patriots’ first-round decision: ‘We have to get this right’

The Patriots currently own the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Jerod Mayo is not scheduled to meet with the media until after his team has made its moves in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. However, the the New England Patriots’ first-year head coach recently sat down with Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network to talk about the possibly franchise-altering decision the organization as to make on Thursday night.

Mayo appears to be well-aware of the importance of using the third overall selection wisely, be it by picking a player — presumably at quarterback — or by using it as an asset in trade.

“We do not intend to be picking this high again, and we have to get this right. We have to get this right, particularly at quarterback,” Mayo told Wolfe. “Our legacy will be defined by who we will pick at 3.”

The Patriots have expressed their openness to trading down from the third overall pick if the right offer came along; the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants — themselves looking for new quarterbacks — are considered possible trade partners. So far, however, no such offer has materialized.

While New England would stay at No. 3 and make a pick at the moment, and is prepared to do that, the possibility of somebody making a substantial proposal continues to exist. The Patriots getting an offer as late as Thursday night could very well happen, depending on how the chips fall at the first and second pick in the draft.

If so, they would have to “heavily consider it,” Mayo told Wolfe.

Mayo’s team not getting a satisfying offer to move off the third overall spot would likely result in the team staying put and picking a quarterback. While the team has about six prospects it would feel comfortable picking with its top selection at the moment, according to Wolfe, all eyes are on the quarterbacks: North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.

Maye is the rumored frontrunner to get selected by the Patriots right now, and a likely target for the Vikings and Giants should they make a late push to trade up. McCarthy, meanwhile, might come into consideration if New England does move back slightly from the third spot.

What will ultimately transpire remains to be seen, but the pressure remains unchanged for the Patriots. Aas Mayo put it, they have to get this right.