Patriots will have plenty of QBs to choose from in draft outside of top selections
By Jerry Trotta
Patriots GM Bill Belichick will have numerous quarterback prospects to choose from in the 2021 NFL Draft.
At this point, it doesn’t look promising that Cam Newton will return to the New England Patriots next season. While the 31-year-old quarterback hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory in certain games, we would argue that he’s done an overall exceptional job at overcoming the team’s lackluster offensive firepower.
The bottom line is that Newton has done enough to prove that he’s still capable of being a starter in the NFL. Assuming he has a strong close to the season across the final eight games, he will likely demand a sizable contract in free agency, and the Patriots, though they will be flush with salary cap space next year, will probably let him walk and look to a younger alternative.
Luckily for them, the 2021 Draft class is the deepest at the QB position in years, meaning Bill Belichick will have his pick of the litter after Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields are taken within the top five selections.
That would potentially leave the Patriots with the luxury of choosing between Zach Wilson (BYU), Mac Jones (Alabama), Trey Lance (North Dakota State) and Kyle Trask (Florida), and that should no doubt excite fans in New England.
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You could certainly argue that Lance will be taken earlier than the Patriots’ projected mid-round pick, but he did opt out prior to the start of the season to focus on training for the draft. While he was viewed as a top prospect before then, we wouldn’t be surprised if one of the aforementioned names — all of whom are playing at a high level — leapfrog him on some boards come April.
We just wanted to clear that up for any fans who were shocked that we included Lance in the list of potential options.
With that out of the way, drafting a quarterback is probably the way to go for the Patriots. After all, the free agent market is the epitome of unappealing as it features run-of-the-mill guys like Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton, and Mitch Trubisky.
We would urge the Patriots to keep tabs on Dak Prescott’s contract situation in Dallas following his season-ending ankle injury. As unlikely as it is that he becomes available, both sides were reportedly far apart in extensions negotiations prior to training camp, so it’s definitely something to monitor.
Cam Newton has two games this year with zero touchdown passes and multiple interceptions.
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) November 4, 2020
In Tom Brady's 20 years with the Patriots, he had only four such games and none since 2009.
A trade is technically in the realm of possibility, but we honestly can’t picture a scenario where the Patriots bring back oft-injured game manager Jimmy Garoppolo or approach the Jets about a potential deal for the confidence-lacking Sam Darnold.
With all of this in mind, we can totally get on board with Belichick nabbing either one of Wilson, Jones, Lance and Trask, all of whom are the talk of college football outside of Lawrence and Fields. Given the organization’s evident lack of conviction in Jarrett Stidham, looking to the QB-rich draft for a long-term answer under center is unquestionably the right move.
