After a 20 year career with the New England Patriots, legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced that he would be leaving the team that he won six Super Bowl rings with.
I don’t need to tell you this, but that leaves an obvious hole at quarterback in New England.
With that being said, could the Patriots look to former Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm in the NFL Draft?
They have the No. 23 pick in the 2020 draft, one that they likely will not be using on Fromm, who is viewed as a third round prospect in April’s draft.
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But the Pats also hold the 87th overall pick, and that’s where things could get interesting if Bill Belichick wants Fromm on his team.
Whether or not he’ll be available that late into the draft is hard to tell. I’ve seen him go anywhere from the second to fifth round. But if New England wants Fromm badly enough, it will do what it takes to get the Warner Robins native.
But that also raised the question – does Belichick even want Fromm? Based off what we have seen in the past, I’ll go ahead and guess that he’d be thrilled to have a guy like Fromm in his quarterback room.
For starters, Belichick loves Georgia players, a fact that he’s alluded to multiple times. He likes the way that Kirby Smart runs his program and prepares players for the league both mentally and physically.
In the past fews years alone, we’ve seen New England select former Georgia players Malcolm Mitchell, David Andrews, Sony Michel and Isaiah Wynn.
If you add Fromm to that offense, one that no longer includes Mitchell, that would be a Georgia fan’s dream.
But there is one glaring issue — Simply put, Fromm was not very good last season. However, as inconsistent as his arm was in 2019, his mindset and preparation never wavered. Also, the play calling was horrendous…and I’m sure Belichick knows that.
Fromm really is the perfect fit for a Belichick offense, though. A drama-free, hard working leader who puts the team above anything else.
Quarterbacks are not widely available in this year’s free agency, so I’d expect New England to take a quarterback in this draft. It’s just a matter of whether or not to take an immediate starter early in the draft, or wait it out a little and get a guy who can be groomed for the future – like a Fromm.
Former Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who the Pats used a fourth-round pick on in 2019, is currently sitting atop the depth chart now that Brady is gone. I have not seen Stidham throw an NFL pass yet, but I can tell you right now, he’s not the long-term answer in New England.