The New England Patriots are widely expected to take the best of the remaining quarterbacks with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft if they stay put, but if they decide to trade down, they have reportedly done their due diligence on another signal-caller.

According to ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler, the Patriots visited with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. during the pre-draft process to see if they would be comfortable taking him in the event that they trade down from No. 3 overall.

While it isn't believed that New England would take Penix third overall, the Pats are reportedly "high" on Penix, which suggests he could be the pick in a trade-down scenario.

There is little doubt that the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders will take quarterbacks with the first two picks in the draft, and they seem likely to be USC's Caleb Williams and LSU's Jayden Daniels in that order.

Assuming that happens, it would leave the Patriots to choose between North Carolina's Drake Maye or Michigan's J.J. McCarthy at No. 3. If neither of them strikes New England as a clear and obvious franchise quarterback, a trade down is possible.

The Patriots went 4-13 last season and have tons of needs on both sides of the ball, so trading down to accumulate additional draft capital this year and next may be attractive to the organization.

Also, several teams picking below the Pats have a need at quarterback, so they are likely to receive a ton of calls once they get on the clock. The New York Giants at No. 6, Minnesota Vikings at No. 11, Denver Broncos at No. 12 and Las Vegas Raiders at No. 13 are all prime candidates to trade up for a QB.

Depending on who you ask, Penix is viewed as anything from a mid-to-late first-round pick to a second-round pick, so trading outside the top 10 would allow the Pats to put him on their radar.

Compared to the other top quarterbacks in the draft, Penix is somewhat unorthodox since he's a lefty and doesn't possess elite athleticism. Plus, he has a lengthy injury history, including multiple torn ACLs.

However, it is difficult to argue with Penix's results, as he finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting last season by virtue of completing 65.4 percent of his passes for 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a Huskies team that reached the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

It is unclear how well that will translate to the NFL, especially if he lands with a team devoid of top-end weapons like New England, but Penix does feel like the most popular quarterback pick once the top four signal-callers come off the board.