New England Patriots: What will it cost to get QB of future?
By Sam Minton
If the New England Patriots want to get their quarterback of the future they will need to make a deal to move up in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The New England Patriots mediocrity in 2020 has cost them. If they want to start rebuilding their offense they will need to pay a hefty price.
Cam Newton has been a serviceable quarterback. He has had his bad days, but Patriots fans can’t really complain.
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But it’s clear that Newton isn’t a franchise-changing QB for New England. At his best, he is a bridge quarterback who can be under center and help mentor a rookie that New England selects.
The problem for the Patriots is that they are stuck in the middle. Right now they are projected to be picking 15th overall in the draft. If New England doesn’t move up, all the good quarterbacks will be gone by then.
Bill Belichick and co. really only have one choice, they need to make a deal.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic explored what it might take to get the Patriots in position to draft a gamechanger under center.
All of these selections hinge upon draft picks which will be easy for fans to part ways with. Ideally, New England will be able to get away with giving up this year’s first-round pick, along with second and third-round picks from 2021 and future drafts.
New England needs to hold on to as much of their first-round picks as they possibly can. In the rebuilding stage that the organization is currently in, they are basically gold. These are the draft picks that should be able to make an impact right away and hopefully be key pillars of your franchise.
If New England was able to move up they would have a chance to draft a player such as Trey Lance or Zach Wilson (Wilson is definitely someone Patriots fans should keep an eye on).
Wilson is having a great season at BYU and seems like he would be a great fit for New England. So far in 2020, he has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Wilson has the athleticism to evade rushers but also has a great arm. If Wilson got to study under Newton, imagine how great of a QB he could become.
So as long as the Patriots are able to keep their 2022 first-round draft pick, they should move up in the upcoming draft to get their QB of the future. If they don’t New England will spend another year stuck in the middle and that’s exactly where you don’t want to be as an organization.