A new era is afoot for a New England Patriots team with more questions than answers heading into the 2020 NFL Draft.
Legendary quarterback Tom Brady jumped ship to Tampa Bay, “The Boogeymen” linebacking trio is down to one and the depleted receiving corps presents the sorts of problems that would even stump Doogie Howser.
Bill Belichick doesn’t have an MD, but he does have six Super Bowl rings as a head coach.
It makes sense to play down the draft every year for the Patriots. Belichick is more likely to trade back or select some guy out of Rutgers no one has ever heard about. ‘Tis the season for Patriots fans to be underwhelmed.
But there are those times when Belichick is willing to roll the dice and make some waves. It’s easy to forget he forked over a fourth-round pick to pull off a trade for Hall of Fame wideout Randy Moss at the 2007 NFL Draft. So it would be a colossal mistake to assume the Patriots are done making moves.
Even after key departures of guys like Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins, the defense should still remain one of the top-10 units in the league. That alone could be enough to convince Belichick to make a big enough splash to get the offense rolling again.
It’s time to talk dream scenarios.
I’m talking about the sort of draft day moves that would have Patriots fans running around their living rooms with the sort of excitement as Julian Edelman sprinting out of a home tunnel.
Leave the “needs” list at the door. Let’s delve into how the Patriots can shock the world on draft day.
Henry Ruggs III falls to the Patriots
The eye rolls will be strong with this one.
Belichick hasn’t had the best history of drafting receivers, and he is coming off a year where he already spent a first-round pick at the position on N’Keal Harry. Would he really pass on a certified playmaker like Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III if he slipped down the draft board?
Probably.
The responsible thing to do would be coming away with a quarterback or an edge rusher like Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa. Yet, if the team plans on handing the reins to Jarrett Stidham, he’s going to need a significant upgrade over the same receiving group that made a Brady-led offense look average in 2019.
Ruggs offers the sort of game-breaking speed that will have NFL defenses choking on his smoke. It’s the one element the Patriots lacked last season.
Is that you, Tyreek Hill?
Tua Tagovailoa somehow ends up as a Patriot
If trading up for Joe Burrow is reaching for the moon, then leapfrogging the Miami Dolphins to steal Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would be aiming for the stars.
Granted, the Dolphins aren’t simply going to hand their arch-rivals the No. 5 pick and one of the most promising arms in the draft. They are clearly in the market for a quarterback as well, and Tagovailoa’s name has come up often for them on mock draft boards.
Fortunately for the Patriots, the New York Giants at No. 4 or Detroit Lions at No. 3 could be open for business in some last-minute wheeling and dealing. Both being NFC teams make the idea of a swap even more appealing.
Belichick would still have to empty the bank, and he’d be taking a chance on a player with an extensive injury history. You can rest assured the Patriots would have to pony up a 2021 first-round draft pick and then some to pull off the blockbuster trade.
But the thought of the Patriots going into the season with Tagovailoa at the helm over Stidham and Brian Hoyer is enough to sleep better at night.
Stidham could always come out next season and prove he’s more than just some guy Belichick drafted for filler space behind Brady, but that assumption could turn out to be an even bigger gamble, particularly if Tagovailoa goes on to be great.
Belichick fleeces Bill O’Brien for Deshaun Watson
Don’t act like you haven’t thought about it.
After watching Bill O’Brien botch the DeAndre Hopkins trade, it would be a complete disservice if every team around the league hasn’t at least inquired about a trade with the Houston Texans.
Who knows what other yard sale discounts they’d be willing to agree to after basically handing away a future Hall of Fame receiver still in his prime.
Deshaun Watson’s cryptic social media posts are proof he isn’t happy with the way things are going in H-Town. It isn’t surprising considering his most reliable receiving target was sent packing, and the only other noteworthy move the team made at the position was signing Randall Cobb.
That isn’t going to cut it in a conference with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Watson is nearing the end of his rookie deal, and O’Brien doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. Some suggested he was on the hot seat after the 2019 season, but then he got promoted to general manager. If the Patriots are willing to move mountains to land a generational talent, Watson should be the priority choice out of any young or veteran quarterback on the list.
Imagine Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Mahomes matching wits with Belichick and Watson. NFL fans deserve that sort of grand-scale rivalry.
Patriots push all of the chips on the table for Joe Burrow
What better way to start in dreamland than with the longest shot scenario possible? Imagine Belichick pushing all of the chips on the table and somehow pulling off a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 1 pick of the draft.
Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow ending up in a Patriots uniform would be the heist of the century. The doom and gloom talk around Foxborough would suddenly end, and the rest of the AFC East would resume competing for second place.
Of course, Burrow likely wouldn’t have the bevy of receiving targets he was gifted with during his stay at LSU. The cost of pulling off such a trade would leave general manager Belichick’s asset bank with echoes.
But the thought of landing a franchise quarterback that could potentially even outlast Belichick would be as good as any reason to do the unthinkable. Not to mention the fear it would ignite across a league full of teams hoping Brady’s departure signals the end of the Patriots’ dominance.
Another 10-plus years of salty fan tears alone might make it worth it.
Another Moss to bring in the new era
The Patriots have a glaring tight end problem, and Randy Moss’ son, Thaddeus Moss, just so happens to play the position exceptionally well as a member of this year’s draft class.
I’m not suggesting the Patriots target Moss as their top tight end, but the dream scenario here would be them possibly double-dipping at the position like they did in 2010 with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
Moss has tremendous upside despite facing a slew of skepticism. He isn’t lighting the world on fire like his dad was coming out of Marshall, but he has shown the sort of versatility the Patriots’ receiving corps missed at tight end in 2019.
There is a chance he slips down the draft board due to inexperience. He truly only flashed for one season with the best quarterback in college football last year, but no one can deny the excitement it would bring to New England if he somehow fell to the Patriots late and continued on the same upwards trajectory.
It would be a feel-good moment seeing Belichick coach another Moss, but it would have been even cooler seeing Brady throw to one.
Those aren’t raw onions, Patriots fans. They’re tears of nostalgia.
