INDIANAPOLIS — It’s a good year for the Patriots to need a quarterback.

In an offseason that the Patriots should try to upgrade over Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, and hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Director of Scouting Eliot Wolf confirmed the team plans to meet with the top three quarterbacks at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Wolf said the Patriots will meet with USC’s Caleb Williams, UNC’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels this week in Indianapolis. A source told the Boston Herald the Patriots plan to meet with most of the QBs at the combine through formal and informal interviews.

“I think it’s a really good year for quarterbacks,” Wolf said Tuesday at the combine. “It’s a really good year at a lot of positions. Like any position we’re going to we’re going to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, determine who fits for us. We’re pretty early in the process here. Like, I haven’t met any of these guys. (Patriots coach) Jerod (Mayo) hasn’t met any of these guys. So as we continue through the process here, we’ll determine what’s best for the team. One thing about the quarterbacks in this draft specifically that I’m excited about is that they all look like they’re really tough guys, which is obviously great at any position, but the quarterback position especially.”

Other top QB prospects include Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. Williams is regarded as the top QB prospect in the draft, but other evaluators are torn on how to order Maye and Daniels after him. One AFC East college scout told the Boston Herald this week that he’d put Maye as his No. 2.

Wolf said all options are on the table with the No. 3 overall pick, including a trade. He said the draft will be a collaborative effort, but that he would make the pick in the first round.

Wolf was asked if it would be a good idea to drop a young quarterback onto a roster with significant holes. He seemed relatively confident the team could patch some of those holes in their goal to regain “respectability.”

The Patriots’ biggest needs, beyond quarterback, are positions that directly impact the QB – wide receiver, tight end and offensive tackle. Fortunately for Wolf and the Patriots, wide receiver and offensive tackle are also strengths of this draft.

“I think it depends on who we’re talking about and what holes we end up having,” Wolf said. “There’s a lot of time between now and the start of the season to patch those holes in. And hopefully we’re going to do more than patch them. We’re going to try to get the best players that we can and we’ll see what happens at the quarterback position.”

The Patriots have the third-most cap space in the NFL this offseason with the ability to create even more by moving on from cornerback J.C. Jackson. They can only fill so many needs in the draft, so they will need to do work in trades and free agency to fill in some of those gaps to support a rookie quarterback.

Jones has struggled for two straight years as a starter. He and Zappe led the Patriots to a 4-13 record and last-place finish in the AFC East last season. Wolf was happy to talk about both players when asked about the team’s plan at QB.

“I’d say there’s a lot of options on the table,” Wolf said. “I’m glad you asked about Mac and Bailey. We’re not going to be a program that’s talking about these guys in terms of, through the media, we’re gonna do what’s best for the team behind the scenes and the strategy of that is going to be myself, Jerod Mayo, (Patriots director of player personnel) Matt Groh, and we’re going to try to do the right thing for the team.”

Wolf was part of the front office that drafted Jones with the 15th overall pick in 2021 and Zappe in the fourth round in 2022. Jones had a solid rookie season that ended with a playoff appearance but has struggled since. Zappe was a solid backup in 2022 but also faltered as a starter in 2023.

BY RELEASING J.C. Jackson, the Patriots can clear $14.375 million of salary cap space without any ramifications. It feels like a matter of when, not if.

The team could always bring the veteran back on a more reasonable deal, but Wolf said Patriots haven’t chosen a path with Jackson yet.

“I would say we haven’t come to a decision on that,” Wolf said. “We’re kinda working through different options. I haven’t talked to the defensive staff about that one specifically yet.”

Between the Patriots and Chargers, Jackson only appeared in 10 games in 2023 and finished the season on the reserve/non-football illness list due to mental health issues, according to his agent. Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick traded for Jackson in October following a season-ending injury to Christian Gonzalez.

MIKE ONWENU, who stabilized New England’s offensive line, and safety Kyle Dugger will both be among the best available players at their positions if they make it to free agency. Wolf said the team has been in contact with their camps and is hopeful to keep both.

One way they’re guaranteed to retain (at least) one is by using the franchise tag. Wolf said that’s a possibility. The window to tag a player is open until March 5.

“All the options are on the table,” Wolf said. “We definitely want to keep Mike and Kyle and we’re hopeful to continue to work with Kyle’s agent and Mike to make that happen.”

Onwenu recently fired his agents, which was a surprising move so close to free agency. Wolf said that doesn’t impact anything on New England’s end and underscored the team’s desire to keep him in Foxborough.

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