While his Monday Night Football comeback was impressive, there’s still no denying that Drew Brees could be playing his final season as an NFL quarterback.
Yes, the New Orleans Saints have a pair of talented potential replacements in Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston, but would that stop them from spending their first-round pick in next year’s draft on another young quarterback?
That’s what happens in the latest 2021 NFL mock draft from CBS Sports, which has the Saints making Florida’s Kyle Trask the heir apparent to the future Hall of Famer
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson breaks down why the Saints could opt for Trask over Winston and Hill as the team’s future at quarterback:
Drew Brees continues to struggles to throw the ball down the field, and that won’t magically improve as he gets older. Trask has only helped himself this season after just earning the starting job a year ago for the Gators. There’s a lot to like about his game, even if he’s a traditional drop-back quarterback in an age where athleticism is a big part of QB play.
Trask is the fourth quarterback off the board in this mock, following Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (No. 1 overall, New York Jets), Ohio State’s Justin Fields (No. 3 overall, Washington Football Team) and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance (No. 12 overall, Minnesota Vikings).
One of the fastest-rising prospects in the country, Trask has been dominant for the Gators so far this season. The 6-5, 240-pound senior has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards through his first three games, with 14 touchdowns and just one interception, completing over 71 percent of his passes.
It’s still not a given that Brees retires after this season, and with the financial investment the Saints have made in Hill, he’s still in play as the team’s franchise quarterback if Brees hangs up his cleats. But the Saints could go in a different direction in next year’s draft, if the right player falls to them.
To check out the full first-round projection at CBS Sports, click here.
