Who do we draft #3 overall ?

Fields has NFL starts under his belt, unlike Lance and is an exciting player. I can see why they would want a 2nd for him. I have my reservations about the player.

However, why should we help them if they decide they found someone better in Williams or Maye?

Our 2nd rounder is just about as close as you can get to a late 1st pick obviously. If they’d take a 3rd which is basically a late 2nd and the Pats are able to land Alt and another impact receiver it’s sounds a little better on paper as a Pats fans. Especially if the suitors aren’t there.

Patriot Missile said:

Fields has NFL starts under his belt, unlike Lance and is an exciting player. I can see why they would want a 2nd for him. I have my reservations about the player.

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Ok, and Mayfield? He was far more productive in his first 3 seasons than Fields has been.

Nunchucks said:

If they don't like any of the qbs, trade down to 4 or 5 and grab the OT they like

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I think they should trade down if they do not see the QB they like and get a lower #1, a #2 and future pick(s). If they could select three of the top fifty players in the draft they could add three players including a QB. Chicago may stand pat with Justin Fields and pick a lineman or the best back on the board. In that case take the QB with the #3 selection.

One-If-By-Sea said:

Mafi and Andrews may well be great too. If we resign Onwenu, I think the IOL is all set. I would like a tackle in R2 and R3, or a RT free agent. We need two tackles. If we resign T Brown he can be a backup.

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I agree that we need to resign onwenu but I would like to see us sign the two Jackson boys in free agency. Then use our draft capital on a qb and a pair of receivers

One-If-By-Sea said:

I agree with this. No idea what BB was thinking with the OL last year.

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From the Herald:

In the season opener, a banged-up offense started late-round rookies Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi at guard and swing tackle Calvin Anderson. All three arrived that offseason because Belichick and Groh believed the best available tackles in free agency and the draft had been overrated, according to one source. Instead of investing significant money or a high draft pick in a proven starter, they opted for veteran discounts in Anderson and 34-year-old Riley Reiff and three late-round rookies.

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Sam Bam Cunningham said:

Take Alt at 3 and do not chance it

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I’m with you on Alt
My fear is Kraft will want a QB at all costs to keep the stands full
i have no doubt he was a driving force to pick Mac Jones
He is a business man first and foremost
We seen that when he hung Brady and all us fans out to dry during Deflategate because he wanted to keep the brand strong
A nice new shiny QB sells way more than a LT

ctpatsfan77 said:

From the Herald:

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I agree the FA OTs were overrated. Did you look at the 2024 FAs for offensive tackles? T Brown in #2 and M Onwenu is #3. At some point the team has to bite the bullet and draft guys in R1 or R2, or sign an overrated FA. The only other options is to have an OL in 2024 like we did in 2023.

Fashanu, is rated higher than Alt by most analysts. I understand why people want to settle the left tackle position. I don’t understand why people are advocating for the consensus second best tackle at #3.

One of my biggest gripes with Belichick’s drafting is that he almost always ignored consensus. To me drafting Alt at 3 is the same type of mistake most of us were frustrated with Bill for making.

Realistically Alt should be available in the 4-6 range. This team needs to hit on a bunch of positions and to do that needs to maximize their assets.

PowerRunRevival said:

Fashanu, is rated higher than Alt by most analysts. I understand why people want to settle the left tackle position. I don’t understand why people are advocating for the consensus second best tackle at #3.

One of my biggest gripes with Belichick’s drafting is that he almost always ignored consensus. To me drafting Alt at 3 is the same type of mistake most of us were frustrated with Bill for making.

Realistically Alt should be available in the 4-6 range. This team needs to hit on a bunch of positions and to do that needs to maximize their assets.

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The difference between them highly comes down to scheme....Alt is more plug and play ready for anything; Fashanu is better athletically and will thrive is a system with deep drops and down the field throws.

1) we don't know what we will look like yet
2) they are two close to really have a consensus on at this point.

For what it is worth the first two links I clicked (including PFN) have Alt ranked higher.

SEPatsFan said:

The difference between them highly comes down to scheme....Alt is more plug and play ready for anything; Fashanu is better athletically and will thrive is a system with deep drops and down the field throws.

1) we don't know what we will look like yet
2) they are two close to really have a consensus on at this point.

For what it is worth the first two links I clicked (including PFN) have Alt ranked higher.

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Also funny, based on your username, you should be pro Alt!

PowerRunRevival said:

Fashanu, is rated higher than Alt by most analysts. I understand why people want to settle the left tackle position. I don’t understand why people are advocating for the consensus second best tackle at #3.

One of my biggest gripes with Belichick’s drafting is that he almost always ignored consensus. To me drafting Alt at 3 is the same type of mistake most of us were frustrated with Bill for making.

Realistically Alt should be available in the 4-6 range. This team needs to hit on a bunch of positions and to do that needs to maximize their assets.

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I Agree, Alt seem over-hyped a bit, a solid prospect but has shown some concerning weaknesses. Surprising how often he can get beat on the bull rush inside.
He's rated lower than Evan Neal and Neal has been a bust, people act like these top tackles are not a risk as well.
Fashanu is THE BEST pass blocking tackle in the draft, which to me is way more important than any weakness he may have in the running game.

There are 3 blue chip ranked players: Bowers, MHJ and Williams.

If you don't go QB because you are not sold on Daniels and Maye and Williams are gone it's 100% MHJ.
Some years you have zero blue chip prospects, you don't pass 1 up in an area of need for a lesser prospect at another position that is not the QB.

This is not a deep draft, very weak on defensive players.
I saw one analyst list the prospects as below:

19 Legitimate First Round prospects (14 offense, 5 defense)
31 2nd round prospects
45 3rd round prospects

That will obviously change as workouts happen, but it seems the draft is heavy on 3rd-4th round talent, light on top prospects.

At #3, we are two picks away from getting Harrison, the best player in the draft at a super position of need for us.
Washington is probably going qb, so
should we cut deal with Chicago?????

SEPatsFan said:

The difference between them highly comes down to scheme....Alt is more plug and play ready for anything; Fashanu is better athletically and will thrive is a system with deep drops and down the field throws.

1) we don't know what we will look like yet
2) they are two close to really have a consensus on at this point.

For what it is worth the first two links I clicked (including PFN) have Alt ranked higher.

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If they are too close to form a consensus on who is better then wouldn’t it make sense to trade back and take the second one if we are set on a tackle?

If they are of similar value, picking one of the two with the third pick is bad value.

Lineman block for all ball carriers so it isn't a total waste to get elite talent there.

One-If-By-Sea said:

Mafi and Andrews may well be great too. If we resign Onwenu, I think the IOL is all set. I would like a tackle in R2 and R3, or a RT free agent. We need two tackles. If we resign T Brown he can be a backup.

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We also most certainly must add Center to the O-Line shopping list. Dave Andrews will be 32 and considering how valuable a quality Center and a backup is, we NEED a guy that could start as a rookie and be solid, even if they only have to be a backup as a rookie. Not carrying an insurance policy behind Dave Andrews for many years (and James Ferentz was a PS player for the last few seasons for a reason), was outright malpractice on the part of BB.

Sam Bam Cunningham said:

Take Alt at 3 and do not chance it

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I do agree with the importance of a quality LT. However, if there's a potential franchise caliber QB there at #3 and we don't take him, we could seriously regret it. Also, Joe Burrow played behind a horrible O-Line when he first started, and still did well. The Bengals still need to build up that line, but that kind of QB is a must have if he's there when you draft.

Sam Bam Cunningham said:

Fair comment. Basically it has to do with how many teams could be competing to trade for him.
I do not think there was a big market for Trey Lance and certainly Mayfield had fallen off the cliff.
Justin Fields may not be the greatest passer but as a runner he is pretty fantastic and in the right setting he could develop like LJ.
So, I think he has more upside potential than the other two and as a result a bigger trade market will develop for his services.

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If we could still keep the #3 overall pick in the 1st and 2nd rounds, I would take Fields. He has a cannon for an arm, but just hasn't been given the coaching and the time to develop as a passer. He has the arm and athletic ability that Mac and Bailey don't have. There are tools to work with there.

goheels22002 said:

I think they should trade down if they do not see the QB they like and get a lower #1, a #2 and future pick(s). If they could select three of the top fifty players in the draft they could add three players including a QB. Chicago may stand pat with Justin Fields and pick a lineman or the best back on the board. In that case take the QB with the #3 selection.

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Which means that a potentially top QB falls into our lap, which I believe will happen anyway. It's just that said QB might have to sit a year and learn while the rest of the offensive talent is added and coached-up.

SEPatsFan said:

Brown and Onwenu are considered and 2nd and 3rd ranked tackles in FA, it will be interesting to see if they bring either back, and what they'll cost. With what Brown has been saying, along with his health, I don't think I want him with the team next season.

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Onwenu Yes (if it doesn't break the bank), but a hard pass on Brown.

JohnJH said:

Onwenu Yes (if it doesn't break the bank), but a hard pass on Brown.

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Brown needs a fresh start somewhere else. He has more baggage than delta airlines!!!