![Dec 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) reacts after a play ]in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports](https://www.patsfans.com/patriots/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/USATSI_22172527_168390408_lowres.jpg)
Some Patriots news and notes ahead of tonight’s NFL Draft:
Minnesota Not Trading Up?
It sounds like the Vikings may be throwing in the towel when it comes to potentially trading up to acquire a quarterback tonight.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, Minnesota is now expected to keep both of their first-round selections, which, rather than attempt a move up the board, they’ll instead stand pat and target players at #11 and #23 overall.
The Vikings were said to be interested in North Carolina’s Drake Maye, who New England is also rumored to be targeting heading into tonight.
However, New England has made it clear that it would take a significant haul to move them out of that spot, especially since they’re also among teams in dire need of a future quarterback. Based on this news, Minnesota doesn’t appear ready to give up the assets necessary to sway Eliot Wolf into relinquishing the #3 overall selection.
As a result, it seems that if the Vikings can’t get their guy in Maye, they’ll simply shift gears and spend this weekend building around Sam Darnold and perhaps make a move at a later date. However, as Schultz notes, they’re still continuing to explore their options.
For now, the big question is obviously who New England is going to take tonight. The overall consensus is that they’ll take Maye, who seems to have the most questions but also the most upside. The only thing that might change that would be Washington making a surprise move by not taking Jayden Daniels and taking Maye, opening the door for the LSU QB to land in New England.
Fortunately, regardless of how it plays out, the speculation is at least about to come to an end, and we’ll finally have an answer to all of this later tonight.
Cardinals ‘Driving a Hard Bargain’ at #4
It sounds like Arizona is certainly doing New England a favor, with Schultz reporting that the Cardinals are driving a hard bargain to move back and are “more than happy” to take Marvin Harrison Jr. with the #4 overall pick.
Some believed that if the Patriots demands at #3 were too high, Arizona might be the easier trade partner to try and snag whoever slipped past New England.
Instead, Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort appears to be more than happy to land an impact receiver for Kyler Murray and their offense in the event no one puts up an offer they can’t refuse.
Ossenfort has already made it clear he’s not even considering making a trade prior to when Arizona is on the clock, likely trying to ensure some additional urgency.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports has also previously reported that the Cardinals already have two offers ahead of tonight, but they don’t appear to be doing anyone any favors and will let the market dictate the price.
Odds and Ends
Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports that the team is having “active discussions” on a contract extension with defensive tackle Christian Barmore. The former 2021 second-round pick is heading into final year of his rookie deal, with the former Alabama standout having established himself as a key part of New England’s defense. … Bill Belichick may not be coaching on the sidelines this season, but it doesn’t mean he won’t be busy. According to TheAthletic, he’s set to have a recurring role with the Manning brothers on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli,” and is also set to have an “inside football show” and “possibly a podcast,” citing executives who were briefed on his plans. An inside football perspective would certainly be fascinating to watch, provided he’s as candid with his analysis on screen as we’ve heard him be behind the scenes. A podcast would certainly be intriguing as well. Belichick was pretty honest and straightforward in an appearance on the Pat McAfee show last week, providing some fascinating insight during that interview. Belichick is also set to join them live tonight during the draft. … Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel made an interesting analogy when it comes to the difference between the college game and the NFL for quarterbacks, noting how difficult it can be trying to figure out who can transition their game to the next level. “Just because you’re good at algebra, does that mean you’re good at calculus?” said McDaniel via TheAthletic. “College football is a different game that has overlapping variables, but it’d be far-fetched to say at any position collegiate success dictates professional success. It’s a different orchestration of an 11-person game, and there’s different nuances to it. … And that’s why it’s an inexact science, because the success of the quarterback in the collegiate platform is based upon compounding variables that you have to sift through.” … Kurt Warner took it a step further. We’ve heard a lot of talk about a player’s ceiling, but Warner points out that reaching it is less physical and more of a mental challenge. “We throw out, ‘Well, man, their ceiling is so high when they put it all together,’” explained Warner. “But we don’t really know what somebody’s ceiling is until they get there or they get close to it. … I also believe that the ceiling for guys is more mental than it is physical, and that’s really hard to truly test.”
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
