Should the Patriots use their No. 15 selection on a quarterback or wait?
The last time the Patriots were seeking a quarterback with a top-15 first-round pick, there were only 28 teams in the league and Bill Belichick was coach of the Cleveland Browns. It’s a different era here in 2021, and many fans are hoping the Patriots can find a new franchise QB by drafting a huge name with the No. 15 overall selection.
Alabama’s Mac Jones and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance are the most likely to fall to that spot, but some are holding out hope for BYU’s Zach Wilson and Ohio State’s Justin Fields to drop that far.
However, it’s no guarantee that coach Belichick decides to draft a QB in the first round at all. He may consider a WR like Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle more valuable, or perhaps standout Florida tight end Kyle Pitts after blowing two third-round picks on Dalton Keene and Devin Asiasi last year.
Belichick’s drafting methods are often hard to predict, but if he does decide to wait to draft a quarterback, here are three really good options.
3. Jamie Newman
Jamie Newman sat out the 2020 season, but he could be a great fit for the Pats.
Georgia QB Jamie Newman isn’t the easiest player to assess, especially since he never technically played for the Bulldogs at all. He opted out of the 2020 season after transferring from Wake Forest, so NFL scouts have to evaluate him primarily based off of his 2019 season in the ACC.
What he brought to the table that season was an impressive outing that left potential for a breakout year in 2020, if not for COVID. In 12 games, Newman threw for 2,868 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 464 yards and six TDs on the ground. His size and athleticism makes you think of Deshaun Watson, though we’re not going to get ahead of ourselves here.
Coach Belichick finally had some experience with a rushing quarterback in 2020, and if Newman can pass the ball as reliably as he runs it, McDaniels and Belichick can interchange Cam Newton-style play calls with Tom Brady-style play calls to really diversify the offense.
Many analysts have Newman pegged as a second-rounder, but after opting out of last season, he could possibly be overlooked in favor of quarterbacks with more recent experience. We’ll see if New England bites on his second-round availability. If not, he could be a late-round steal.
2. Kyle Trask
Kyle Trask was atop the Heisman race at some point. Is he a fit for the Pats?
One of 2020’s best pure passing seasons came from Florida’s Kyle Trask, who put up 4,283 passing yards for the year with a 69% completion rate and finished with 43 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions. The good news for the Pats? The chatter around Trask and Florida simmered when they ended the regular season with an embarrassing loss to LSU and a predictable defeat against Alabama in the SEC title game.
And the fact that he’s not a dual-threat quarterback could actually affect his value. With young stars like Kyler Murray, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes taking the NFL by storm and perhaps introducing a new blueprint for teams to mimic, Trask may not be in high demand with his stock continuing to fall a bit (he was once projected as a first-rounder).
Fortunately, the Pats had one of the slowest men on earth at QB until last year, so accurate pocket passers are the bread and butter for most of New England’s playbook. Trask’s accuracy, decision making, and natural passing talent make him (hopefully) a worthy sequel to Tom Brady. He may be off the board by the third round, so if the Patriots don’t use their first-round pick on a QB, they may only have one chance at him.
1. Kellen Mond
The Patriots might like the dual-threat ability of Kellen Mond.
If New England were to wait until the third round to draft a quarterback, Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond may be the best acquisition. As a happy medium between Kyle Trask and Jamie Newman, Mond put up respectable numbers both rushing and passing in 2020.
In 10 games, he threw for 2,292 yards with 19 touchdowns and only three interceptions. On the ground, he ran for 294 yards and four touchdowns. He may not be a Lamar Jackson, but he has the mobility to breathe a little life into the Patriots offense. A TD/INT ratio of more than 6:1 is also the kind of ball security Belichick likes to see, and if he can be counted on as a dual-threat QB without being turnover-prone, he’s instantly alluring as a potential NFL starter.
There are criticisms of his play that prevent him from being a likely second-round pick, however. He’s inconsistent. He had a couple of ugly games last season (such as an 11-of-34 passing game against LSU) and isn’t all that accurate compared to other guys in the draft. With a tall, athletic frame and good speed, though, Mond has potential to turn into a star under the right coach.
Some have compared him to a young Colin Kaepernick, and I think he seems a lot like what the Green Bay Packers hope Jordan Love turns out to be. The Pats will likely have a couple shots at drafting him from rounds 2-4, so we’ll see if they give him an opportunity.
From the last couple years of drafting, we know it’s impossible to predict when, or if, Belichick will pick a QB. Let’s hope he and the front office can finally put their poor drafting track record behind them, too.
Patriots: 3 LBs New England can draft in 2021 First Round
Although the Patriots defense remains a strong unit, they could use some upgrades at the LB position. Let's look at their options.