Patriots reportedly making Justin Fields calls after 49ers draft blunder leaks
By Jerry Trotta
The NFL Draft is just three days away and the New England Patriots remain a mystery in terms of what they plan to do in the first round.
The way we see it, de facto GM Bill Belichick has one of four options: trade up for a quarterback, address the linebacker position, draft a top cornerback if they don’t plan on extending Stephon Gilmore, or pounce on the top remaining wide receiver.
According to the latest pre-draft buzz, however, the Patriots are reportedly giving serious consideration to the former.
Per NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the Pats are one of three teams (the Eagles and Vikings) who’ve been inquiring about moving into the top 10.
In fact, Pelissero went as far as to disclose that, if New England (given its history) was to make such a groundbreaking move, Justin Fields would be the target.
If that doesn’t get the fan base excited with draft night fast approaching, then nothing will.
Patriots reportedly calling teams in top 10 and seem to have 1 player in mind https://t.co/0Tftl1EpOH pic.twitter.com/B6c1R17wG8
— WEEI (@WEEI) April 26, 2021
The Patriots are reportedly back in the mix for Justin Fields.
Here’s what Pelissero had to say about the Patriots trying to position themselves to draft their potential quarterback of the future. The esteemed NFL reporter even outlined what it might cost them to make such a move.
"“And this is an interesting one. The Patriots have been calling around in the top-10,” Pelissero reported. “And teams that have gotten those calls believe their target would be Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.”“Now, it would cost the Patriots to move from (No.) 15 up to seven or eight, probably something in the region of a second-round draft pick, but that is a small price to pay if New England sees an opportunity to land a potential franchise quarterback.”"
The Patriots, of course, have seen their Justin Fields hopes slip recently after his second impressive pro day for the Buckeyes and rumors surfaced hinting that the San Francisco 49ers were giving serious thought to drafting him No. 3 overall.
However, that narrative flipped again on Sunday evening when fellow NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the 49ers have narrowed down their list of potential options to two prospects: Alabama standout Mac Jones and North Dakota State star Trey Lance.
It remains to be seen what it would actually cost the Patriots to move up several picks, but Pelissero is as well-informed as any insider in the industry. If he has a hunch that doing so could go for as little as a second-round pick, then Belichick simply has to do it.
As the #49ers close in on their decision of which QB to take at No. 3, sources say they are down to two prospects — and the belief is those two are #Bama QB Mac Jones and #NDSU QB Trey Lance. Several sources say the focus does appear to have shifted to those two.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 26, 2021
The other thing to consider is how well the Patriots gauge the rest of the draft board, as that will help them know which pick would guarantee them a chance at drafting Fields. As things stand, it’s looking like the seventh or eighth picks which are currently owned by Detroit and Carolina, are their ideal landing spots.
It looked for a while there that the Patriots’ hopes of landing Fields in the draft had fallen by the wayside, but this new report has given them a beacon of optimism with just three days remaining until the start of Round 1.
