The No. 3 pick in this year’s NFL draft belongs to the New England Patriots, and one would think they would use it on a quarterback such as Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels.
But there is some chatter that they could trade down in the draft and instead address one of their many other roster needs.
If they do that, there is perhaps a scenario where Bailey Zappe will be starting under center for them next season, and per Dov Kleiman, he was seen working on his passing.
Patriots QB Bailey Zappe is back in the lab working on his passing accuracy 👀
Future QB1?
(h/t @SportsFellow_)pic.twitter.com/aRlPskhU9x
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 27, 2024
When New England drafted Mac Jones in 2021, it looked like they had found their franchise QB of the future, especially when Jones made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and got them to the playoffs.
But last season, they won just four games, and Jones was benched multiple times in favor of Zappe.
In 10 games and six starts in 2023, Zappe completed 59.9 percent of his pass attempts while throwing for 1,272 yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The Patriots finished 30th in total yards and 31st in scoring last season, and they have many needs up and down the roster, beginning perhaps with one or two legitimate playmakers at wide receiver and an improved offensive line.
Therefore, one could make the argument that they simply don’t have an environment conducive to the growth and development of a signal-caller such as Daniels or Maye.
With Bill Belichick leaving after 24 years as their head coach, it is clearly a brave new world for the once-proud Patriots, a franchise that won the Super Bowl championship as recently as the 2018 season.
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