New England Patriots 2019 NFL Draft: 3 QB prospects team must draft

SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 31: Clayton Thorson #18 of the Northwestern Wildcats celebrates defeating the Utah Utes 31-20 in The San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl at SDCCU Stadium on December 31, 2018 in San Diego, California. Thorson was named the offensive player of the game. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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2019 NFL prospect Daniel Jones (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

2. Daniel Jones, Duke

The quarterback the New England Patriots have been most linked to is Duke product Daniel Jones.

Like Thorson, Jones has great size for a quarterback, but does have some accuracy issues. However, his athleticism and advanced footwork in the pocket is something the Patriots can work with, especially with him learning behind Tom Brady for a season or two.

Projected to go anywhere from the mid-first round to the late second round, ESPN’s Mel Kiper does have the Patriots selecting him with one of their second-round picks. If they see more promise in the 6-foot-5, 221- pound Jones than they see in Thorson, who they can target in a later round, they should definitely take a shot at Jones.

In his final year at Duke, Daniel Jones threw for 2,674 yards, 22 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in just 11 games. He also ran for 319 yards and three touchdowns to support some of that athleticism.

In all, with his ability to sense pressure and use his feet to move around in the pocket, along with his ability to work through progressions at a quicker rate, Daniel Jones could start out as more of a game manager like Brady did in his first couple of seasons.

With similar attributes, that’s why he has drawn comparisons to Brady. The hope here is that Daniel Jones eventually flourishes into a franchise quarterback combining his pocket awareness with his high football IQ.

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