In less than one week, quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson will be the number one and two picks of the NFL draft. After that, all bets are off. The New England Patriots sit with the 15th pick and have an organizational necessity to find the quarterback of the future sooner rather than later.
After 20 years of pure dominance under the duo of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, fan expectations are extremely high, and Cam Newton did not necessarily impress the fanbase last year in Brady’s absence. Granted, last off-season was extremely unusual underneath the COVID-19 pandemic, and Newton was not afforded a normal off-season filled with team workouts, practices, meetings, and a pre-season. While Newton hopes to get back on track this year, it is high time for the team to find an answer for beyond this season and through the draft.
The 15th pick is not necessarily the best spot to land a quarterback. It is a bit too late to draft a top quarterback, and far too early to take a flyer on a second-round pick. The door is open for the Patriots to trade a large amount of draft capital, in order to move up and draft the likes of a Mac Jones, Justin Fields or Trey Lance. All three quarterbacks are projected to be in the top ten, with one of them certainly going third to the San Francisco 49ers.
It had been widely speculated that San Francisco was in line to take Alabama’s Mac Jones for third pick, but a sub-par performance at his pro-day has cast uncertainty around the 49ers’ pick. Jones missed a few big throws in his workout, while both 49ers’ GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan watched anxiously alongside Patriots’ coaches Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels on the sidelines. The Alabama product is a pocket passing quarterback with little mobility. If San Francisco ultimately goes in a different direction in the number three spot, Jones would be a good fit in the New England system that has been tailored to the strengths of pocket passer Tom Brady over the past two decades.
Justin Fields is another viable option for the Patriots to consider in the draft. The Ohio State quarterback is wildly different from Jones. Fields has a big arm and is the most mobile quarterback in the draft, having run a 4.44 forty-yard dash time at his pro-day. If drafted by the Patriots, Fields would open up a dual threat as quarterback that would give defensive coordinators nightmares for years to come. There is a major concern with Fields centered around his tendency to throw to the first option, which would not necessarily coordinate well with the New England offensive style of play. Others believe Fields would fare just fine, having completed 70 percent of his passes last season for 22 touchdowns and only six interceptions for 2,100 yards, according to ESPN college football statistics. With the Lions having traded for Jared Goff earlier in the offseason, it is possible that they would be willing to depart with the seventh overall pick in a trade with New England for the right value.
The final option for the Patriots is North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance. While North Dakota State only played one game last year, NFL teams were unable to see exactly how he progressed from his stellar 2019 season. In 2019, he posted 2,786 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns without throwing a single interception. Lance is an extremely well-rounded quarterback with a strong and accurate arm. In addition to his throwing ability, Lance can run extremely well for a quarterback, with good speed and good power. This allows him to improvise in the pocket when he is not breaking for open field. The Patriots have the draft capital to move up in a potential trade with the Atlanta Falcons in order to draft Lance at number four overall.
While it is not certain that the Patriots will trade up, one thing is for certain: The Patriots’ decision-making rests on the back of the San Francisco 49ers’ pick at number three. Depending on who the 49ers actually take, and who the Patriots truly value, Thursday has great potential to be a wild ride.