Bill Belichick, New England Patriots. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The 2020 NFL Draft may be in the rearview mirror, but now we have the 2021 NFL Draft to look forward to! These five NFL teams are already circling the date.
The NFL Draft is a time for teams who need to address certain positions on their roster to do so. They have free agency the month prior to try and fill those needs, but the draft gives them a chance to find young talent who they’ll – if all goes according to plan – have four or five years of control over.
While the 2020 Draft is still fresh in everyone’s minds, some teams are already dreaming of the 2021 NFL Draft and the players they can lock down in said draft.
5
New England Patriots
AFC East
The New England Patriots typically don’t draft until late in the first round, but 2020 is going to be a new era for them. They might not be bad in 2020, especially with Bill Belichick as their head coach and still having a very good defense at their disposal.
The Patriots can’t seriously think Jarrett Stidham is the long-term answer, however, so it wouldn’t be shocking for them to trade up in 2021 even if they do have a respectable record. Having just one down year between Tom Brady and someone like Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields would be ideal for the Pats and they’ll be eagerly awaiting the 2021 draft so that they can try to land their next quarterback of the next two decades.
If nothing else, this gives New England a chance to beef up some of its other weak positions such as offensive line and wide receiver should they sign a free agent like Andy Dalton next offseason.