Patriots WR has surprising answer to QB he wants team to draft

New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots WR has surprising answer to QB he wants team to take No. 3 overall

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 2/7/24

With the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, pretty much everyone is expecting the New England Patriots to take a quarterback.

And while there’s three really good options at the top of the draft — USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels — Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne has a pretty strong opinion about who he’d like to see his team take with its first-round pick.

“I like Jayden Daniels,” Bourne said in a recent appearance on the “Patriots Talk Podcast.” “I’m a Jayden Daniels fan. A Heisman Trophy winner, obviously. I love the (style of) play — how he plays, being able to be versatile. So, I think that’d be a strong suit for us.”

Though Bourne is a soon-to-be free agent, he's on record stating he wants to come back to the Patriots for the 2024 season.

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New England still has Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe under contract for next season, but with the team breaking in a new head coach and general manager, it’s likely the duo will want to hand pick their new quarterback of the future.

Many scouts and draft experts expect the Chicago Bears to take Williams first overall, with the Washington Commanders taking whoever ranks higher on their draft board between Maye and Daniels, leaving one left for the Pats.

Of the three, Daniels had the best 2023 season, accounting for 4,946 yards (3,812 passing, 1,134 rushing), 50 touchdowns (40 passing, 10 rushing) and just four interceptions, leading LSU to a 10-3 record en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.

Williams won the Heisman two seasons ago, the same year Maye was named the ACC Player of the Year.

Neither Jones (2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns, 12 interceptions) nor Zappe (1,272 yards, six touchdowns, nine interceptions) were overly impressive this season. With Bill Belichick (the man who drafted both QBs) no longer in charge, it’s likely the Patriots will grab a new signal caller to run first-year head coach Jerod Mayo’s offense.

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