Should The New England Patriots Trade Jeff Demps?

August 24, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett (15) hands the ball off to running back Jeff Demps (42) during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New England Patriots 30-28. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Demps has been a very popular name for this fan base and the organization for over the past season even though he’s yet to prove himself on the field. He was placed on the IR at the start of last season, and now he has come out and said he wants to focus on track and do both. Yeah, sorry Demps… that’s not going to work with Belichick. He wants his players dedicated to his team and not doing two sports. This is where they need draft picks and with Emmanuel Sanders staying with the Pittsburgh Steelers, because they do indeed need another Wide Receiver. The issue is that they have a lack of draft picks and if teams are interested in Jeff Demps, I have a hard time seeing the Patriots not giving him up for a late round pick. A late round pick may not be much, but let’s not forget that Alfonzo Dennard really helped improve this defense last season and if they can find another late round steal… the trade could pay off.

It’s clear this would be the right move for this football team, and they are already trying to move him according to his agent Daniel Rose. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/14/pats-discussed-possibility-of-trading-jeff-demps-says-demps-agent/

The Patriots really only had about three weeks to take a look at Demps before final cuts, which led to them keeping him on the active roster just long enough for them to put him on injured reserve without having to clear waivers first. Any team that is considering acquiring Demps would also have to deal with those same limitations, but there are also a lot of seventh-round picks who don’t see much of the field so it’s very possible that someone could be willing to spend something in that range to roll the dice on a player with world class speed.

This team would be very happy if they can indeed get rid of Demps for a draft pick, but it’s going to be extremely challenging to pull this move of. In fact, if the Patriots manage to swing a deal for Demps, it would be somewhat remarkable. There is no question is speed is amazing and it helps his potential, but you need more than speed to be able to make it the NFL.