Vikings reportedly offered Patriots three first-round picks for No. 3 overall pick

BOSTON -- When the time came for the Patriots to make their pick last Thursday night, the team's top decision-makers ultimately went with the most obvious choice in quarterback Drake Maye. But the team was not without options.

ESPN's Mike Reiss reported Tuesday that two teams -- the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants -- both made offers to the Patriots to try to secure that No. 3 pick.

According to Reiss, the Vikings offered two first-round picks this year (No. 11 and No. 23) as well as a first-round pick in next year's draft. The Vikings, though, wanted two "mid-round picks" from the Patriots in addition to the No. 3 overall pick.

The Giants, meanwhile, offered up the No. 6 overall pick plus next year's first-round pick to try to move up three spots in the first round this year.

Ultimately, we know the Patriots passed on those offers, as the team in desperate need of a quarterback took its shot with Maye.

It's probably good they did, too. By the time No. 11 came up on Thursday night, both Michael Penix Jr. (No. 8 to Atlanta) and J.J. McCarthy (No. 10 to the Vikings, who moved up a spot to get him) were off the board. That left just Bo Nix (No. 12 to Denver) available at that spot. There are some unknowns in place, such as whether the Vikings would have taken McCarthy or Maye at No. 3, but the surprise pick of Penix helped empty the quarterback pool pretty quickly at the top of the first round.

Moving down to No. 6 would have given the Patriots a shot at Penix or McCarthy, but the top wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and top tackle Joe Alt went off the board at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.

Of course, with the Patriots having needs across the board offensively, stacking up first-round picks would have helped significantly in the team being able to draft some higher-regarded tackles and receivers than the ones they got in Ja'Lynn Polk and Caeden Wallace, with the extra first-round pick next year likely helping beef up the roster for what could be a big year for the team.

Yet it's hard to believe a team really has a chance to compete for a playoff spot without a frontline starting quarterback. Maye -- like any QB prospect -- is no sure thing in that sense, but he has the physical tools and potential to develop into one for the Patriots. And in the end, the Patriots valued that potential more than any of the alternative avenues presented by the Giants and Vikings.