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The New England Patriots are a team in transition for the first time in two decades. They have a lot of team needs they could attempt to fill with the 23rd overall pick, including a possible replacement for Tom Brady.
It’s a whole new world for New England Patriots fans. A million words have been written about Tom Brady’s exodus to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so we many more. What we should look into is what the Patriots want to be starting this season.
The Patriots lost a lot this offseason besides Brady. New England is now without Phillip Dorsett, Stephen Gostowski, Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton, Kyle Van Noy and Duron Harmon. Not easy to replace.
Going into the draft, the Patriots have a ton of needs, but not a lot of assets to fill them. They might go after a quarterback in a class that has a lot of upside. Bill Belichick may want a wide receiver in what’s being called one of the best classes in history at the position. Or, they could make moves to bolster the defense again.
There are many directions the Patriots may go. With five choices, here are some options.
Jordan Love
Jordan Love is the most volatile draft pick on the board this season. He feels like Ryan Tannehill did coming into the 2012 NFL Draft. Some have him going before Oregon’s Justin Herbert, and a select few have him as the second quarterback off the board entirely (although it’s not many).
However, with this being a very strange year in terms of scouting because of COVID-19, there’s even more uncertainty.
For this reason, teams could go chalk when it comes to quarterback, with it going Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert in that order. After those three likely go in the top 10, where does Love go after that? He could fall all the way to No. 23 and the Patriots.
Love lost an entire coaching staff and a bounty of offensive talent from 2018 to ’19. That could explain why he went from a 32 touchdowns and six interceptions to 20 touchdowns and 17 picks last season. Some of the throws he’s made are downright impressive, showing he has immense skill.
If the Patriots are serious about going with Jarrett Stidham, then this isn’t the answer. However, we’ve seen Belichick go after high-upside players in the draft before.