New England Patriots: 5 juicy rumors ahead of 2020 NFL Draft

Trading up for Tua Tagovailoa

Speaking of Mel Kiper Jr., the NFL Draft analyst added to the continuous rumor of the New England Patriots moving up to snag Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Here is what he had to say during his appearance on WEEI’s Ordway, Merloni & Fauria Friday when asked where he thinks Tagoviloa will be selected:

"“It’s going to be the million-dollar question.  That’s the whole intrigue and the element of the draft that you just can’t figure is these types of things.  You hear people, and I know everyone is screaming that Tua has to go high, you have to take that risk.  And then you hear people in the league saying he could fall and everybody is doing their due diligence, including the Patriots.  You can rest assured, if he gets into the middle of the first round and you’re sitting there at No. 23, wouldn’t you jump up and maybe get him?”"

Given that the Patriots do like Tua Tagovailoa (and what team doesn’t), the relationship Bill Belichick has with Alabama head coach Nick Saban would give him some extra insight on whether it would be worth moving up and taking a chance on a player who has some injury concern.

While the Patriots don’t appear to have the ammunition to move up into the Top 5, unless old friend Matt Patricia and the Detroit Lions drop a gift in their lap, Belichick could package Joe Thuney and their No. 23 pick to move up.  They can also throw in one of their third-round picks depending on how far into the middle of the first-round they may have to move up.

If healthy, any trade up in the draft would be worth it in order to draft Tua Tagovailoa. If the New England Patriots feel he is the guy, they will certainly be aggressive in trying to get him unless they feel either Jordan Love or Jalen Hurts gives them a similar talent to work with at a lower cost and certainly a lower risk.

If Tua falls out of the top 10, the intrigue of the 2020 NFL Draft will just be beginning, especially if you are a Patriots fan.