ORLANDO — Patriots coach Jerod Mayo spoke Monday morning as part of the coaches breakfast at the annual NFL owners meetings. Here’s what we learned: 1. The Patriots are open to trading the No. 3 pick. Mayo made it clear the Patriots have not made up their minds when it comes to their plans for the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft. “We’re open to trading the pick,” he said. “We’re open to taking the guy there.” With the new regime’s emphasis on drafting and developing players, Mayo acknowledged the advantage that can come with acquiring more selections. The Patriots have eight picks , including one in every round and two in the sixth. Advertisement If the Patriots are not convinced by the quarterbacks available to them at No. 3, then they are comfortable trading back to accumulate draft capital. Chicago, which holds the No. 1 pick, seems likely to take Caleb Williams out of Southern Cal, but Washington’s plans at No. 2 remain uncertain. “I don’t think anyone in here really knows exactly what
Washington is going to do,” Mayo said. “I think everyone knows what
Chicago is going to do at No. 1. But the rest of it, honestly, is up in the air. When you see these other teams making moves, acquiring pieces to move, like, we can sit here and say Washington today, that could be somebody else on draft day.” LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s
Drake Maye generally lead the conversation at quarterback after Williams, but Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy has started to gain steam. Asked about the possibility of trading back and then watching the quarterback chosen at No. 3 develop into a franchise player, Mayo didn’t seem concerned. “Hindsight is always going to be 20/20,” he said. “I wish I had that crystal ball. You never really know. Advertisement “You’re going to find gems throughout the draft. As we continue to go through the process and look at these players, really, it’s about trying to find those gems later in the draft. “Now, sitting at No. 3 is very unique because whatever happens at Nos. 1 and 2 — like, if you’re convicted on three or four quarterbacks, then I feel like we’re in a good position.” 2. The Patriots are still gathering information on the top quarterback prospects. As the Patriots continue to get to know the quarterback prospects through pro days and visits, Mayo said they would like to answer questions such as: “How does this guy learn?” and “How does he deal with adversity?” He also views watching film with prospects as an opportunity to gauge their retention by seeing what they remember about particular games. Mayo, de facto general manager Eliot Wolf, and additional members of the coaching and scouting staffs plan to visit LSU Wednesday and North Carolina Thursday for pro days. A group visited USC and Michigan last week. Mayo, Wolf , and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt have spoken publicly about the traits they value in a quarterback. And Mayo added to his remarks Monday when he raved about the importance of good decision-making, competitiveness, and toughness. Although Wolf will have final say when it comes to the No. 3 pick, Mayo is hopeful that close to everyone will be aligned by draft day. Advertisement “ What you guys have heard me say a lot — it’s about collaboration ,” he said. “One thing that [senior personnel executive] Alonzo Highsmith told me, and I truly believe it — he’s been doing it for a long time — and he said, all the bad picks that he’s seen, it’s really been where everyone wasn’t on the same page. You would hope that you could get everyone on the same page, coaches and also scouts.” In addition to Wolf and Mayo, other key voices will be Highsmith, director of player personnel Matt Groh, senior personnel adviser Patrick Stewart, director of pro scouting Steve Cargile, and director of college scouting Camren Williams. According to Mayo, ownership does not want to maintain a role in personnel decisions. “They don’t want to be involved in
Football decisions,” Mayo said. “They have given us the tools to go out there and get the guys that we want. They’ve given us the backing or the confidence to go out there and be aggressive if we are convicted on a player. But, at the end of the day, they don’t want to be involved with football decisions.” 3. Mayo believes the roster and coaching staff are equipped to support a rookie quarterback. Mayo recognized that a “combination of things” hindered the development of 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones, whom the Patriots traded earlier this month . Mayo, echoing Wolf’s comments, noted the importance of surrounding a quarterback with not only quality players but coaches and other resources. Advertisement “To support a guy who plays the most important position in sports and to ask him as a rookie to come is always going to be tough,” Mayo said. “You get to Year 2, we want to see that jump. You get to Year 3, you would want to see success like this straight line, but, realistically, that’s not what it is. It’s like a bunch of ups and downs. I think just supporting a quarterback is one of the biggest things.” According to Mayo, New England’s staff and roster as currently constructed are “100 percent” ready to support a rookie quarterback. Van Pelt, quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney, and senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo will all have a role in developing that player, as will veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who signed a one-year contract this offseason. “He’s a good mentor to quarterbacks,” Mayo said. “He’s a known entity. He’s a guy who’s been here before. Secondly, I’d say he’s worked with a lot of the guys on our staff currently. Any time you can get a player that is also a coach is beneficial. He’s going to help as far as the installs and things like that.” Should the Patriots draft a quarterback with the third pick, they are prepared to have Brissett start if the rookie is not ready to play by Week 1. Take Maye, for example. It sure sounds as though the Patriots like Maye and are intrigued by his potential — Mayo said he had “a fantastic interview” at the scouting combine, citing his energy and leadership — but they know he will need assistance along the way. Advertisement “The exciting part about a guy like Drake Maye is the ceiling,” Mayo said. “Like, there is really no ceiling with a guy like that. Now, in saying that when we’re trying to put together this roster, I know a lot of people look at the ceiling, but you also got to kind of see how low is the floor? “I would say that a guy like Drake Maye, he has a lot of room to grow. He’s a young guy. Honestly, he hasn’t played football nearly as much as these other guys.” 4. The Patriots are asking for patience in addressing roster needs. Mayo said he doesn’t regret saying in January that the team is ready to “burn some cash,” but he clarified that the team’s approach will be methodical. “The media, the fans, everyone wants that big signing,” Mayo said. “Look, when there is a guy we want to get, the Krafts have already told us they’ll spend the money. I would say, offensively, this year, we were very picky as far as the players we were getting. At the same time, that wasn’t really a really deep offensive free agent class to even make that type of splash.” The Patriots entered free agency with the most salary-cap space in the league, but ultimately did not make a big splash with any of their external signings. They did pursue wide receiver Calvin Ridley, but he signed with Tennessee. Wide receiver, along with offensive tackle, remains one of the team’s biggest needs. Mayo is confident the Patriots will be able to address those positions, via draft or trade, but mentioned that the process will “take time.” The priority this offseason was to retain their contributors. “For Patriot fans, look, I understand the frustration, I understand the expectation that was really built over the last 20 years,” Mayo said, “but at the same time, hopefully the fans understand that we’re trying to build this the right way. We’re trying to bring in pieces that we think are for the long term.” 5. A handful of smaller notes . . . ▪ Troy Brown will remain on staff in a “skills development role.” According to Mayo, he will work with the skill-position players on offense. ▪ Michael Onwenu will start the season at right tackle, but Mayo sounded open to moving him around the line if necessary. The two other known starters on the offensive line are center David Andrews and left guard Cole Strange, though Strange is still recovering from a knee injury suffered in December. ▪ The Patriots are starting their offseason program on April 8, a week later than the first possible date permitted by the league. Asked about the delay, Mayo said the extra week is to ensure the coaching staff is “all on the same page” before working with the players. “You don’t win games in the spring, but you can lose them,” Mayo said. “I don’t want to fall into that trap. I want to make sure that we’re all pulling in the same direction.” ▪ Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who was arrested in January in Louisiana on illegal gambling charges , remains on the roster while the team gathers more information. Said Mayo, “I think it’s important to remember some of these guys are very young and they’ve made mistakes in the past. It’s easy to just throw them away, but there are certain instances where you can help somebody out.” Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her @nicolecyang .