ESPN’s Mel Kiper would be surprised if Patriots don’t trade up for QB

All signs are pointing toward the Patriots trading up for a QB in the draft.

The likelihood of the New England Patriots trading up in the 2021 NFL Draft for a quarterback seems to be increasing.

With only a few days left until the draft, there’s been multiple reports saying Bill Belichick will make the move. The Patriots have Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham on the roster, which many believe won’t suffice. New England is thinking ahead to the future and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Patriots have been calling teams to get into the top 10.

Pelissero said the Patriots would be targeting Justin Fields, who is one of the best options available this year. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are surefire No. 1 and 2 picks — but Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones are wildcards currently.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper said Monday morning on ‘Get Up’ that he’d be surprised if the Patriots don’t trade up for a quarterback.

“What they need to do is go up and get Justin Fields,” Kiper said. “If he’s there at 7, the Detroit Lions could be a team looking to move (down). If I’m New England, I’m not sitting at 15; no quarterback is falling in your lap. You’re not going to be that lucky or that fortunate. You’ve got to go get them. I’m going to be very surprised if they weren’t aggressive on draft day, Thursday, and go get that quarterback.

“… I’m going to be really surprised — not shocked, but really surprised — if New England didn’t move up from 15.”

The NFL Draft begins Thursday night and there could be a lot of moving pieces once the clock starts ticking.

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