Who else can’t wait for Thursday night when the 2024 NFL Draft kicks off from Detroit? It’s always one of the most speculated nights of the year and predicting what front offices are going to do is nearly impossible, but we sure as hell are going to try. Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s'NFL Draft odds'for NFL prospects and tab the best bets for who will be the No. 3 overall pick — just one of many SportsbookWire’s expert NFL picks and predictions.
The New England Patriots, who have the No. 3 pick, are beginning a new era, one without Bill Belichick running the show for the first time since he was hired as coach before the 2000 season. Longtime Patriots player and assistant coach Jerod Mayo has huge shoes to fill, and it officially starts with the No. 3 pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft.
One of the first big moves in the Mayo regime was to ship out QB Mac Jones to Jacksonville which means they have a hole to fill at the QB position. The prevailing thought is, whomever the Washington Commanders don’t take at No. 2 between LSU QB Jayden Daniels and UNC QB Drake Maye, New England will select at No. 3.
Maye seems like a great choice to be the heir apparent to Tom Brady since Jones obviously was not up to the task. Maye checks all the boxes from his measurables to his arm strength to his mobility. The former Tar Heel gunslinger threw for 3,608 yards with 24 touchdowns against 9 interceptions, but he has had a tendency to make bad plays worse.