Tom Brady will need replacing in 2020 or beyond. So ESPN’s Todd McShay suggested the New England Patriots plan accordingly. In his latest mock draft, McShay projected Bill Belichick would take one of the draft’s top quarterback prospects, one who could start day-one if necessary but might also benefit from a year or two behind Brady, if he returns despite his status as a pending free agent.
At 23rd overall, the Patriots are projected to pick Washington Huskies quarterback Jacob Eason. Here’s what McShay wrote on the topic:
“Yes, that’s right, I’m now going with a quarterback for the Patriots, who still don’t know if they’ll have Tom Brady under center in 2020. Even if the 42-year-old free agent returns on a short-term deal, the Pats have to address the position on the first two days of the draft, so why not do it now? I like 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham’s potential, but I’m not sold on him as a long-term starter. Eason has been getting a lot of buzz from people I talk to in the NFL lately, though he’s not a lock to be the fourth quarterback taken; he’s still battling with Utah State’s Jordan Love, but I’ll give the 6-6 Eason the edge for now. He has the best arm of any signal-caller in this class, though he can be erratic at times. It’d be ideal if he got a year or two to sit behind Brady, but he has a much higher ceiling that Stidham. Safety and linebacker are other positions to keep an eye on for New England’s top pick.”
So McShay had both Love and Eason on the board, but apparently likes Eason’s fit in New England, particularly with Belichick and Josh McDaniels getting time to groom the young signal-caller, who finished 2019 with a 64.2 completion % with 3,132 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He needs help getting through his reads, something the Patriots coaching staff would dedicate themselves to fixing. Eason also has an impressive amount of talent and power, but that has lent itself to poor mechanics, which won’t cut it in the NFL. That’s another area for improvement, which should lower his number of misfires.
The player no one is talking about, Stidham, is the biggest unknown variable in the equation. He spent most of the year away from reporters’ eyes, and is therefore an unknown entity to everyone except the Patriots. Only Belichick’s staff knows how quarterback-needy they are in New England. If Stidham made major developmental strides, maybe the Patriots don’t need a quarterback.
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