The 2023 NFL Draft is less than a week away. Could the New England Patriots pull off a blockbuster trade to greatly impact their roster? Never say never, and never count out Bill Belichick, either.
The team did do a good bit of work on offense this offseason, bringing in three new players who should be able to contribute immediately. They also brought in Bill O’Brien to be their new offensive coordinator, which should have massive benefits.
However even though the team itself seems to be in a better place than it was last year, the roster itself is still missing some “oomf.”
The Patriots could turn to one of these blockbuster trades during the NFL Draft to bring that oomf to the roster.
3 blockbuster trades the Patriots can make during 2023 NFL Draft
New England Patriots receive: S Budda Baker
Arizona Cardinals receive: 2023 first round pick (14)
The first major trade isn’t exactly one that you might think the Patriots should make, but then desperately need some help in the secondary. Devin McCourty did retire this offseason, so the Patriots are likely looking for some form of a replacement for the Hall of Fame career McCourty put on the field during his career.
Budda Baker is really a do-it-all safety, and he originally gave the Arizona Cardinals and ultimatum: trade me or pay me.
Now, he simply wants traded and a fresh start. I’m sure he’d greatly enjoy playing for Bill Belichick, a defensive mastermind.
3 blockbuster trades the Patriots can make during 2023 NFL Draft
New England Patriots receive: WR Jerry Jeudy
Denver Broncos receive: C David Andrews, 2023 third round pick (76)
The next blockbuster trade the Pats could make would be sending the enforcer of their offensive line and a third round pick to the Denver Broncos for Jerry Jeudy, a wide receiver they could truly use.
David Andrews was undrafted out of Georgia back in 2015 and has been the team’s starting center since then. He did miss the entirety of the 2019 season but did come back to play 12 games in 2020, 17 in 2021, and 14 in 2022. He’s played 103 games in the regular season and has won two Super Bowls with the team.
Andrews is one of the better centers in football, but the Pats have usually always been able to field strong offensive lines. They haven’t been able to say the same thing about their wide receivers. Adding Jerry Jeudy and JuJu Smith-Schuster in the same offseason to potentially pair with Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton is slowly becoming a more desirable and effective WR core that the Pats have needed for a while now.
New England would still have their first and second round picks to shore up the offensive line and perhaps add someone in the secondary after making this move.
3 blockbuster trades the Patriots can make during 2023 NFL Draft
New England Patriots receive: QB Trey Lance
San Francisco 49ers receive: QB Mac Jones, 2023 fourth round pick (107)
The final trade to propose is sending Mac Jones and a fourth round pick in this year’s draft for Trey Lance, a former third overall pick back in the 2021 NFL Draft, the same QB class as Mac Jones. Trey Lance just has had some pretty awful luck thus far.
He hardly played his rookie season and suffered a season ending injury in the beginning of the 2022 season. Lance simply does not have a ton of QB play on tape in the NFL, and I think him still being 23 years old and hardly playing is going to cause one team to give him a chance to be a starter.
Well, why not pair Lance with an offensive coordinator in Bill O’Brien, who has worked with young QBs before? It makes too much sense to me. Bailey Zappe still hangs around as the backup, but Mac Jones and Lance get fresh starts, things they desperately need.
Mac Jones likely turns into the starter for the 49ers, playing in an offense that I think best suits his skills as a QB. The Niners would then have to figure out the situation with Brock Purdy.
That would be a whole mess, but that’s their problem.