The New England Patriots need a quarterback right now.
Tom Brady left behind a skeleton crew at quarterback in New England, with second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham and journeyman Brian Hoyer. The Patriots don’t seem to have time to develop a quarterback. If possible, they’d like to upgrade the position. That’s why Utah State quarterback Jordan Love seems like a mismatch for New England.
Love may have the most upside among quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, but he probably has the biggest bust potential, too. And he’s least ready for the NFL game when compared to other projected first-round prospects, like Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert.
But with Bill Belichick, we should always expect the unexpected. So while Love seems like an odd fit in New England, the Patriots coach may find his upside attractive. And that might lead New England to pick the youngster at 23rd overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. That’s what Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar sees happening.
Here’s what Farrar wrote about the selection:
“With Tom Brady out the door after 20 years, what is Bill Belichick to do for a quarterback? Yes, he could look to Jarrett Stidham as a guy who at least understands his offense. Or, he could upset the applecart completely and go with a different kind of passing game. Let’s say the Patriots sign one Cameron Jerrell Newton in free agency, and select Love in the first round. What Belichick then has, as long as Newton’s healthy, is a mobility and running flexibility he’s never had in at the quarterback position before. Newton would give Love the time he needs to work out his rough spots, which led to 17 interceptions in 2019, and at age 68, Belichick would take the Patriots into the new wave of offensive football. Stranger things have happened.”
It’s a fun concept to consider, though the Patriots don’t quite have the cap space to pull it off — at least not at this moment. They’d probably have to trade guard Joe Thuney to create the space for Newton, who would act as the bridge quarterback for love. If somehow Belichick managed to bring in both players, the quarterback position would again look impressive for the present and future in New England.
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