Vikings' Kevin O'Connell jokes about trading for Patriots' No. 3 pick
Vikings' Kevin O'Connell jokes about trading for Patriots' No. 3 pick originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots appear likely to keep the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft -- but that won't stop other teams from trying to sweet-talk them into trading down.
The Minnesota Vikings are a prime candidate to trade up in the draft and take a quarterback after they acquired the No. 23 pick from the Houston Texans (in addition to their own No. 11 overall pick) and let Kirk Cousins walk in free agency.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell isn't hiding this fact, and even joked about trying to butter up Patriots team owner Robert Kraft about a potential trade with New England up to No. 3.
"You know, I may or may not have sent a nice bouquet of flowers to Robert Kraft the other day," O'Connell quipped during a speech Friday at St. Philip the Deacon Church in Plymouth, Minn., via Matthew Coller of Purple Insider.
Kevin O'Connell gave a speech last night at St. Philip the Deacon Church in Plymouth and got a full breakdown of McCarthy and Maye by a Vikings fan at the end lol. He gave a very interesting answer, noting that he killed some previous QB ideas in the past because he wasn't sold.… pic.twitter.com/cb2SR6lOJo
— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) April 19, 2024
O'Connell does have a connection with Kraft, as Kraft's Patriots drafted the former NFL quarterback in the third round in 2008. Still, it'll probably take a bit more than a flower delivery to move New England off the No. 3 pick.
As our Tom E. Curran reported earlier this month, the Patriots aren't looking to trade their first-round pick unless they receive a package bigger than what the Miami Dolphins received in 2021 for trading the No. 3 pick to the San Francisco 49ers. So, the Vikings likely would have to offer both the No. 11 and No. 23 picks in this year's draft and multiple future first-round picks to pique New England's interest.
The Patriots' hardline stance makes sense; they desperately need a new franchise QB, and at least two of three high-level prospects -- LSU's Jayden Daniels, UNC's Drake Maye and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy -- will be on the board when they pick at No. 3.
So, unless de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and his staff aren't sold on whichever of Daniels, Maye or McCarthy is still available, it's hard to see them giving up the No. 3 pick -- regardless of how many flowers are delivered to One Patriot Place.
