There is just one member of Boston’s media that’s worth listening to when it comes to getting inside info on what the team is up to. That man is Mike Reiss, and yesterday the patron saint of sports media said the Patriots are “locked in” on getting a quarterback in this years draft. Which most of us already assumed anyway but some of you think this Spike King character has more sources, but that’s a story for another day because Hightower didn’t retire. I should probably get back on topic here.
Now while most fans (myself included) would prefer a bit of a night one splash by Belichick trading up to get one of those top tier quarterbacks. As I said yesterday I do believe that is what he hopes to do, but it takes two to tango and some teams might be hesitant about giving Belichick and his already loaded roster the quarterback of the future and potentially restarting the Dynasty. It’s all in how the draft plays out and contrary to the belief of most Patriots fans, you don’t NEED to take a QB round 1 if one of the top guys is not available. For instance even with all this batshit crazy talk about Mac Jones going 3rd overall, I don’t know if I would take Jones with the 15th pick when there’s potentially more dynamic players available. As a later first (I never said trade back) or as a second rounder, I would actually be fairly happy with selecting Jones.
Jones put up some ridiculous numbers this past season at Alabama, completing 77.4 % of his passes for 4500 yards and 41 touchdowns to just four interceptions. There’s no way to slice that as a bad season. The talent around him was crazy but I don’t knock a guy for hitting receivers in stride. Jones‘ best attributes to me though aren’t in his throwing ability, it’s his footwork inside the pocket and what he does at the line of scrimmage that really impressed me. I think Jones is a more polished, pro ready quarterback than his former teammate Tua, whose last name I’m not going to attempt this early in the morning. That being said, I have the same concerns with Jones that I did with Tua. He had the Heisman Winner to throw to and that won’t be the only one of his receivers selected in the first 15-20 picks, his running back might go late in the first and pretty much the whole offensive line will go in the first 3 rounds. Jones had everything he needed to be successful at Alabama and life won’t be as easy in the pros. However, the Patriots roster is currently built to make life very easy on a quarterback.
Other reports this week have indicated that the Patriots are “doing their homework” on Florida quarterback Kyle Trask. I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews on Trask but in Round 2 or 3 I would be very happy with the Trask selection. At 6’5 240 the two year starter is built like a prototypical quarterback and progressed a lot in his 2 seasons as starter. His 2019 season was a fairly average year, completing 66.9% of his passes for 2,941 yards and 25 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. It was his 2020 season that Trask really made a name for himself, throwing for 4,283 yards and 43 touchdowns to 8 interceptions. Anytime a guy throws 18 more touchdowns and just one more interception than the year before, you have to take note of that. There are similar concerns with Trask as there are with Jones though, and it’s in the weapons around him. His top target was Kyle Pitts, a freak athlete and the best tight end prospect we’ve seen in a long time. His secondary receiver Kadarius Toney is no slouch either, as he’s one of the most explosive playmakers in the draft and from what I have seen on tape, a scary good route runner. With that it is also worth noting that Trask’s best performance of the season came against Arkansas with Pitts sidelined by injury. Toney wasn’t even his top receiver that day as Trask spread it around, going 23-29 with 385 yards and 6 touchdowns with no turnovers. Trask has a few things he needs to work on but much like Jones if he is drafted into a good situation, with good coaches and an offense that can make life easy, he could have early success in the NFL. Once again I find it worth noting that the Patriots roster is currently built to make life very easy on quarterbacks.
Dont miss our live draft coverage lead by the boys over at the @officialbudhole. Your going to be watching anyway, might as well get registered for all the spectacular prizes and giveaways! Stay tuned for more draft coverage from Blue Collar Media!