Days out from the 2024 NFL draft, the signs continue to point to the New England Patriots holding onto the No. 3 overall pick, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Reiss reported the “most likely scenario” is New England selecting LSU’s Jayden Daniels, North Carolina’s Drake Maye or Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. He added that first-year head coach Jerod Mayo and “some top decision-makers have privately acknowledged that their legacies will be tied to whatever they decide at quarterback.”

“So now, barring an unexpected blockbuster trade offer, according to sources, the Patriots will move forward with a plan that has been months in the works — getting a quarterback,” Reiss reported.

The quarterback position is at or near the top of New England’s list of needs heading into the draft. The team traded Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and leaning on Jacoby Brissett or Bailey Zappe as the starter isn’t how to christen a rebuild.

Because they’re picking behind the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders, the Patriots won’t have a ton of control over who’s available. Moving up — at least at a reasonable cost — is probably out of the question as well since Chicago and Washington have equally pressing concerns at quarterback.

But nobody would bat an eye if Maye or Daniels were the choice. The former is the No. 3 overall player on Bleacher Report’s 2024 big board with the latter clocking in at No. 31. McCarthy is only two spots lower and his stock has steadily rose in recent weeks.

Trading back would allow Mayo and director of scouting Eliot Wolf to have more picks to replenish the roster, but volume doesn’t necessarily equal quality.

None of Daniels, Maye or McCarthy is guaranteed to become a perennial Pro Bowler, but taking any of the three would represent a much clearer path to finding a true successor to Tom Brady than anything the franchise has done to this point.