Nick Caserio admits New England Patriots are interested in drafting a QB
Nick Caserio suggests that the New England Patriots will be active on the third day of the NFL Draft and are interested in drafting a quarterback.
After the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft, the New England Patriots will enter the third day of the draft having already drafted one defensive back to address their aging secondary, two linebackers to address their thin linebacker group, and two tight ends to address their lack of production at the position last year.
The Patriots have done a great job so far of retooling the team after losing a handful of players in free agency, and they currently have six more draft picks in rounds five through seven. The need/want for a quarterback is more intriguing than the Patriots could have prepared for at this point in the draft.
Two quarterbacks who are shockingly still available in the draft were considered top players at the position — and were once pipe-dreams for the Patriots. But now it’s more of a possibility than ever before that New England could take either one of them still. Depending on how things play out, the Patriots could find themselves landing Jacob Eason or Jake Fromm.
In his post-draft press conference on Friday night, Nick Caserio, Director of Player Personnel for the Patriots, expressed that the team was more active throughout the second day of the draft and that we can expect the same outcome during Day 3.
Caserio did have this to say about the potential of drafting a quarterback in rounds four through seven on Saturday, per Twitter:
"“We’re going to have a third quarterback on our roster, pair them up with Jarrett [Stidham] and Brian [Hoyer]. These guys are working hard at the start of the off-season program. We’re going to have another player here at this position. Where he comes from and how he gets here is sort of yet to be determined. There’s a few guys I think that we like and we feel comfortable with. Now it’s just a matter of how we get them on the team.”"
This is something that has been looming around New England for a few years now and it’s great to finally hear from Caserio that the Patriots are in fact interested in drafting a quarterback for the future of their franchise. His words suggest that the Pats will be interested in again making a trade to move up into the fourth round to take one of these guys if they so feel the need to.
It’s worth mentioning that the New England Patriots drafted Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round of last year’s draft and that they like what they saw from him as a rookie last season. But it’s fair to also say that the Pats want to be prepared if things don’t go so well with Stidham, or to simply have another direction in mind just in case.
dark. Next. Patriots should draft kicker Tyler Bass today in Rounds 4-7
Lastly, if the Patriots find more value in another position during the early stages of the fourth and fifth rounds, there will still be a strong and dependable quarterback available to them in the bottom portion of the draft: Iowa quarterback Nathan Stanley. Stanley is 6’4, 243 lbs, and has a strong arm accompanied by great pocket presence. He could be a valid option if the Patriots’ attempt to take Fromm or Eason fails.