Patriots: Falcons’ presence at Trey Lance’s pro day feels like bad news

The New England Patriots are still in the market for a potential franchise quarterback, as Cam Newton doesn’t give Bill Belichick a ton of long-term security given his age and injury risk.

Considering where they are positioned in the 2021 NFL Draft, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance might end up being their ideal target.

While they might need to trade up in order to select an FCS player that has just one year of starting experience (!), Lance’s arm talent and ability to make plays on the run is astonishing for a player his age.

There is a reason top teams are lining up for the chance go anoint him as their franchise’s next great quarterback.

With the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, and San Francisco 49ers all likely to select a quarterback with the first three picks, the focus now turns to the Atlanta Falcons, who hold the No. 4 pick. Atlanta could improve their defense here, but they might try to grab a potential successor to Matt Ryan instead.

The Patriots will take a long, hard look at Lance at his second pro day, but several top brass from Atlanta will be there as well, including three top scouts and either GM Terry Fontenot or coach Arthur Smith.

Will the Falcons take Trey Lance away from the Patriots?

Starting Lance as a rookie could be a disaster, as he needs to adjust to the speed of the NFL game before he gets thrown to the wolves. Atlanta and New England could afford him that same opportunity, even if he’ll have to wait behind Ryan for a long time.

While Belichick and Josh McDaniels created an offense centered around the immobile Tom Brady, they have been showing a willingness to use the quarterback in the running game more often, as evidenced by the fact that they managed to plunge the ball into the end zone 11 times with Newton as a runner in 2021.

Lance will land in a much better situation in New England in 2021 when compared to last year, as the additions of Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, and Nelson Agholor should give him enough perimeter talent to succeed. Unfortunately, if Atlanta is set on taking him at No. 4, there isn’t much that the Patriots could do.

If the Patriots want Lance specifically, they will need to hope the Falcons pass on him and pray they can convince a Top 10 team to potentially trade down with them. Those are a lot of boxes to check for a guy with a limited number starts in an offense that only threw when they had to, but crazier things have happened.