2018 NFL draft: Does the Patriots' behind-the-scenes war room clip hint at Josh McDaniels' future responsibilities with the team?

Compared to other teams around the NFL, the New England Patriots have one of the smallest draft rooms. Only a handful of people in the front office are part of the inner circle that makes the team's decisions on draft day – and except head coach and de-facto general manager Bill Belichick, no members of the team's coaching staff are present during the event.

This is why it makes it all the more interesting to see offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels present in the war room:

Just like rest of the Patriots' assistant coaches, McDaniels is usually active on the scouting trail but not present among the decision makers on draft day. This year, however, is different as New England’s behind-the-scenes clip above shows. So, what happened? The Indianapolis Colts did, so to say.

The Colts were on the verge of acquiring McDaniels as their next head coach in February, before a last-minute pitch by Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick convinced him to stay (which became official after Indianapolis had already prematurely announced the signing). What exactly the 42-year old was promised to convince him to remain with the franchise has never been made official – McDaniels' title, for example, has not (yet) changed.

New England's behind-the-scenes video gives us a hint at his future responsibilities, though, as it looks as if McDaniels will be more involved with the scouting and player selection process moving forward. And while this should not be seen as a sign that he will one day take over as the Patriots' next head coach, it is still a notable development for the Patriots and especially McDaniels.

It also would not be surprising to see this be just a part of a bigger change: McDaniels, for example, could also be named the team's next assistant head coach. The role was previously held by offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, but he never reclaimed it since returning out of retirement in 2016. McDaniels could potentially now officially become Belichick's official right-hand man on the coaching staff.