#PostPulpit Mailbag: Should Jayden Daniels be New England’s first-round pick?

This week’s mailbag answers questions about Jayden Daniels, the NFL Draft, and more.

The New England Patriots’ busy offseason rolls on. As the new-look coaching staff has returned to work at Gillette Stadium the attention starts to turn to the offseason, where the NFL Combine is just two weeks away and free agency begins in just over a month.

So with that, let’s get right into this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag.

@Fuadnehemen Are you a Jayden Daniels fan at 3?

I’ll tell you who is: Matthew Judon and Kendrick Bourne. Both players have publicly stated that Jayden Daniels would be their pick at No. 3 if he’s on the clock.

As for me, I’d still lean Drake Maye if I had my pick of the litter. And since the end of the collegiate season — and especially after Kliff Kingsbury took the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator job — it looks like Maye may have the greater odds of being available at No. 3.

But if it comes down to Daniels I believe I’m currently at the point where I would take him. The Heisman Trophy winner has jumped up boards due to not only his speed and ability to extend plays with his legs, but his skillset as a thrower as well. Daniels is an impressive thrower who is accurate at all three levels with good arm strength.

There are some cons (fifth-year senior, threw to two first-round wide receivers this past season, reckless play), but his skillset is certainly dynamite.

@GreatHomesLA I’m very interested in getting another top 50 pick, without trading our first pick overall. What could we realistically get for Judon, since the timeline of this rebuild does’t seem to line up with his age?

I’m with you, Shawn. One of the underrated storylines entering the draft is the Patriots only have seven picks. Lots of holes to fill and not a lot of capital to move around the board.

While acquiring another top 50 selection may be difficult without moving No. 3, moving down from No. 34 and adding another top 100 selection could definitely be in play. Looking at the Rich Hill trade value chart, sending No. 34 to Green Bay for No. 41 and 91 is close in value. Adding another top 100 pick for a small move down the board would be wise for the Patriots in this draft.

As for Judon, that’s another underrated storyline this offseason. Something is going to have to happen to the 31-year old, whether he gets a new contract or gets traded. If they pick the latter, I look at the Khalil Mack to L.A. trade as a similar comp. The Chargers gave up a second- and future sixth-round pick to acquire the 31-year-old Mack.

@Skywal1Thaddeus Could Chad O’Shea return as our WRs coach given his experience working in New England, and under Alex Van Pelt?

Another week, another good name to watch here. Wide receivers coach is the last big shoe to drop on the Patriots coaching staff and O’Shea makes tons of sense. He had a good relationship with Van Pelt in Cleveland and also worked with the Patriots new assistant wide receivers coach Tiquan Underwood in Miami.

It’s also worth noting that Troy Brown reportedly has an offer to remain with the club, but that role is unknown.

@Jermfree23 Whats your take on this GM situation we appear to be in .. can we really trust and have Faith in Wolfe and company?

We touched about this a bit in last week’s mailbag, but Wolf absolutely deserves a shot to run his own ship. With nearly 20 years of experience working his way up personnel departments in numerous organizations, he has the resume to be a NFL GM. Pair that with the intriguing hire of Alonzo Highsmith and the other executives in the Patriots front office and it’s a group to have hope in.

@PPatriot70 With the Patriots previously having a notoriously small draft board (probably leading to a Thornton over Pickens), what can we expect from Wolf, Groh, Highsmith and company?

I would imagine a more collaborative approach — which they have stressed will take place — will lead to a larger board with more voices pitching in. One thing we’ve learned that definitely will be new is their grading system.

As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports noted, Belichick had “stringent grading rules on specific players and their fits in organization.” The Packers’ system, which Wolf and Highsmith were raised in, has often emphasized traits like “athleticism, versatility and explosiveness.”

@NEPatsjunkie What round pick could you get for a Mac Jones if he was traded?

I think a fifth would be fair value. Los Angeles has three of them. Minnesota and San Francisco both have a pair of fifth rounders. Those would be my teams to watch.

@icyphoenix36 Could you see this potentially being a free agency where the patriots put more of a focus on taking care of their in house free agents and potentially extending key players like Barmore, Pep and/or Judon over being big spenders this spring?

100 percent, Matt.

The Patriots have cash to burn and unfortunately not many external players at positions of need to spend them on. The quarterback and offensive tackle market are barren, and the receiver class could join them with Tee Higgins likely getting the franchise tag and Michael Pittman Jr. being a candidate as well.

Extending Onwenu should be atop the priority list, but then they absolutely can continue to use their finances in-house. I also wouldn’t rule out a splash addition on defense. Maybe add a younger edge rusher in Bryce Huff or a backend player like Geno Stone and Xavier McKinney. New England could also add another top tier cornerback (L’Jarius Sneed) to pair with Christian Gonzalez. Lots of options as long as they commit to the offensive in the draft.

@rush_time2000 how long of a rebuilding window do you think mayo is granted?

It truly depends on the quarterback position. If they take one third overall and hit you could be quickly back in playoff contention (see: the Houston Texans). If not, things can start to drag out. In Mayo’s case, you’d hope to at least see some promise in the right direction after two years.

@alexisbgood We’re two days past the Super Bowl and the Pats haven’t offered a QB1 contract to Drew Bledsoe yet! What gives??

If there’s one thing the Patriots should be bringing back from that era it’s the Bledsoe Blue jerseys. Would be a big upgrade over the current blueberries.

That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following @iambrianhines and @PatsPulpit as well.