A new era has started for the New England Patriots. However, at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, it sounded a lot like old times, with little insight provided on the Patriots’ plans at quarterback for 2024 by the team’s representatives.

But while Eliot Wolf, now New England’s director of scouting, and new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo had nothing illuminating to say about their plans for Mac Jones and the position, a former quarterback for the team did on Tuesday.

Brian Hoyer was with New England in eight seasons, including serving as Jones’ backup during the former Alabama All-American’s first two years in the NFL.

As a rookie in 2021, Jones started every game for the Patriots as New England went to the playoffs and he played in the Pro Bowl. After offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left to become the Las Vegas Raiders head coach, Jones had a less productive season in 2022, compounded by an ankle injury that caused him to miss three games and most of another contest.

In 2023, the wheels came off for Jones and the Patriots. New England plummeted to a 4-13 record. Jones got benched and didn’t play in the final six games of the season as Bailey Zappe ran the offense.

During an appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” Hoyer said the Patriots’ best course of action in 2024 would be to restore Jones to the starting-QB spot and use the third choice in the NFL Draft on April 25 on an explosive play-maker such as Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., the son of a Pro Football Hall of Fame pass-catcher.

“The No. 1 question is always going to be with the quarterback,” Hoyer said when addressing what New England will look like in its first season since 1999 without Bill Belichick as the head coach. “I’m going to stick up for my guy Mac. I know that he’s kind of got a raw deal the past few years, so with the third pick they have an option. What do you want to do? You’re in line for one of the top three guys. But also being a quarterback guy myself and looking at a guy like Marvin Harrison Jr., I know what Mac’s capable of. I witnessed it his rookie year. And I don’t know if there’s been a receiver that’s come out in recent times that’s more prepared.

“Obviously, he has the DNA, and then he’s gone out here and proven it. I don’t watch a ton of college football, but when I watch and see Ohio State and the things that he does, I mean, it seems to be like a bigger, faster version of his dad, which you’d take that any day.”

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Wolf was less definitive when asked about the Patriots’ quarterback plans during his press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“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 going to do what’s best for the team behind the scenes, and the strategy of that is myself, Jerod Mayo and (director of player personnel) Matt Groh, and we’re going to try to do the right thing for the team.”

Wolf did say this year’s NFL Draft would be “a really good year for quarterbacks.” Among the quarterback prospects, Southern Cal’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix are considered first-round possibilities.

“Like any position, we’re going to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, determine who fits for us,” Wolf said. “We’re pretty early in the process here. I haven’t met any of these guys, Jerod hasn’t met any of these guys, so as we continue through the process here, we’ll determine what’s best for the team. And one thing about the quarterbacks in this draft specifically that I’m excited about is they all look like they’re really tough guys, which is, obviously, great at any position, but the quarterback position especially. …

“We have to determine who can handle being the quarterback of the New England Patriots.”

Mayo wasn’t any more specific about quarterbacks.

“The thing about quarterbacks for me, everyone wants the big arm and the mobility and things like that,” Mayo said about the prospects at the combine. “But I do think it’s important just to get a good sense of what type of competitor they are. Their toughness and things like that – those are things you really want to look for.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.