Patriots: 3 top draft prospects who’d be awful fits in New England
By Mike Luciano
Patriots Poor Fit No. 3: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
With Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson written in blood with the first two picks, one member of the Jones/Lance/Justin Fields trio could possibly slip to New England. Lance might only have one year of starting experience at North Dakota State, but his arm talent and mobility have helped solidify him as a first-round talent.
Lance will need a lot of fine-tuning, as his accuracy concerns and inexperience with regard to throwing a ton of passes in any given game (the latter of which is due to NDSU’s run first, throw out of necessity offense) will make it tough for him to start as a rookie. If development is the key, New England might not be the best spot.
Why would Trey Lance not fit on the Patriots?
The Patriots might be a run-first team, but Lance will have to win some games with his arm when he breaks into the pass-first NFL. Sticking him in a very complex offense that doesn’t go down the field very often, effectively nullifying his biggest asset as a prospect, might not be the most natural fit.
Lance could easily have the highest ceiling of all the non-Lawrence quarterbacks in this draft, but a scheme similar to what Kyler Murray has in Arizona or what Josh Allen is making magic with in Buffalo might be better for his skillset. Lance might take a while to reach his ceiling with New England, and that could take him out of consideration at pick No. 15.
