The New England Patriots could get their quarterback of the future without trading up from 15th overall in the draft. Maybe. It’s possible.
ESPN’s Todd McShay proposed a mock draft on Thursday that had Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields slipping down the draft board to the Patriots and Bill Belichick. In fact, New England had a choice: Fields or North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance. The obvious reaction from Patriots fans will be: ‘He’ll never fall that far dummy!!!!’ Those doubters probably would’ve said the same about Dwayne Haskins in 2019 and Jordan Love in 2020.
Some quarterback prospects absolutely shoot up the draft board. Others drop precipitously. McShay laid out a scenario for the 2021 draft that put Fields in Belichick’s lap — and he acknowledged that it’s not exactly likely. Here’s what McShay wrote:
“But what a nice fit Fields makes in New England. The Patriots tied the Giants for the fewest passing touchdowns in the NFL this season with 12, and New England joined the Broncos as the only teams with more interceptions thrown than TDs (14). Cam Newton, who was largely ineffective this season, will turn 32 in May and is set to be a free agent again. Jarrett Stidham doesn’t appear to be the guy, either. Tom Brady is no longer walking through that door, and it’s a different era for the Patriots’ passing offense. But Fields would change that, with plenty of zip on his vertical shots and an ability to create when things break down.”
Cam Newton and Brian Hoyer are free agents this offseason. Stidham is the only Patriots quarterback on contract in 2021. New England has plenty of cap space to address its quarterback situation in free agency or through a trade. But the Patriots could also draft a quarterback with one of their many picks in 2021, including their first-rounder at 15th overall.
