The Patriots’ Draft Day Could Become Wild With These Moves
Updated: Jun 29, 2023
Nobody has ever known what the Patriots and Bill Belichick will do on draft day, and this trend will continue. There are a few big moves that could occur.
The Patriots have a lot of needs heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, and they must ace their picks. The Patriots picked up some good pieces like Juju Smith-Schuster, Mike Gesicki, and James Robinson, but there are still a lot of needs that need to be met. Recently there have been reports that New England is looking to trade Mac Jones. All that being considered, here are three wild scenarios that could happen.
Trading For An Elite Receiver
Despite signing Juju, New England has been in constant trade rumors for both Deandre Hopkins and Jerry Jeudy. Both these players have not been traded yet, but they are rumored to be interested in both. Hopkins is a 30-year-old receiver who has had six seasons with 1,000 yards or more. Jeudy is a very promising receiver who just came off his best season with 972 yards.
Both these players would be the best receiver New England has, and they’ll fit great with Mac Jones. Mac Jones hasn’t had much receiver help throughout his time with New England. This is the best time to get Mac Jones some help and see what he is capable of.
Both these receivers should be available for a second-round pick, but without any buyers yet they may have to lower their trade value respectively. The Patriots trading for one of these elite receivers is very possible considering their continued interest throughout the off-season
Drafting A Want Rather Than A Need
The Patriots lack an explosive playmaker on offense, and there is one available in the draft. Bijan Robinson is viewed as the most dynamic offensive player, however, he plays a position that isn’t in demand: running back. Bijan scored 20 touchdowns last year and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. He’s viewed as the best running back in the draft.
Despite this, Bijan is not needed for New England. Rhamondre Stevenson broke out in 2022 and they recently signed James Robinson. New England is reportedly “Intrigued” by Bijan’s thought. Bijan and Rhamondre would be one of the best duos in the league, and Bijan would add a dynamic element to the Patriots’ offense that they lacked. This move is rather unlikely, but with Bill Belichick, you never know.
Quarterback Change
The Patriots were reportedly trying to trade Mac Jones this off-season, and Bill Belichick seems to have some concerns. After a great rookie year where Mac threw for close to 4,000 passing yards, he regressed in 2022. That is largely due to Matt Patricia being the offensive coordinator, but there seems to be some friction between Mac Jones and the Patriots.
These factors may cause New England to trade up for a quarterback. Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are out of the picture, and Will Levis may be too. However, Anthony Richardson does have the potential to slide out of the top ten given that he is extremely raw, and there are more polished quarterbacks above him.
If Richardson fell to the Patriots, would New England consider drafting him? Richardson has the potential to be a top-five quarterback in the NFL. He is 6’4, runs a 4.4, and he has extremely good arm strength. Under the right system, Richardson could develop into an elite dual-threat quarterback. Considering New England and Mac Jones have some friction, it wouldn’t be out of the picture to see Belichick draft a potential superstar.
However, this move isn’t needed. Mac showed a lot of promise in his first year and was not given a fair chance. Matt Patricia held Mac Jones back significantly, and Jones hasn’t had an elite receiver in his career. The Patriots need to continue building around Jones.
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