Draft Watch: Patriots currently own the third overall pick in 2024 NFL Draft

BOSTON -- While the losses pile up in disappointing and embarrassing fashion, there is a silver lining for the New England Patriots. With Sunday's loss to the Colts in Germany and the Arizona Cardinals winning later in the afternoon, the Patriots are currently near the top of the 2024 NFL Draft order.

So if you're down for the "tank" approach the rest of the way, Sunday's frustrating 10-6 loss on the international stage wasn't so bad. At least there is a bright spot to the Patriots being 2-8 and in dead last in the AFC: New England currently owns the No. 3 overall pick in the draft.

The Arizona Cardinals beat the Atlanta Falcons in Kyler Murray's return to "improve" to 2-8. But the Cardinals have a .544 strength of schedule, while the Patriots are at .541. Advantage Patriots, in terms of being worse. 

The New York Giants remain abysmal though, losing to the Dallas Cowboys 49-17 on Sunday. They're the worst of the three 2-8 teams, and are ahead of the Patriots and the Cardinals in the draft order because of their .522 strength of schedule. 

The 1-8 Carolina Panthers remain in the top spot, though their first-round selection is heading to the Chicago Bears. 

The Patriots are now in their bye week with a Week 12 showdown with the Giants in New Jersey next up on the schedule. The Patriots are bad, but the Giants are really bad, so it's going to be a real battle of the basement dwellers. The Giants are 1-3 at home this season, so it's not going to be easy to lose to them. (If anyone can find a way though, it's probably the Patriots.)

After Mac Jones was benched in the final minutes of a close game on Sunday, it's clear that he doesn't have much of a future in New England. The 2024 NFL Draft class features a handful of stellar quarterback prospects, with UCS's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye atop the list as potential franchise-changing picks. Other options include Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, LSU's Jayden Daniels, Washington's Michael Penix Jr., Oregon's Bo Nix, and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, but they aren't seen in the same light as Williams and Maye. So trying to jump into the top two will be important for any team hoping to land a quarterback in the draft.

The Patriots still have seven games to play, so there is a lot of football left in the season. And while it hasn't been a whole lot of fun to watch them lose week after week, it has put them in a very good position to land a top pick come next April.