The New England Patriots should prepare a quarterback this year. They likely will. That specific choice does not require to be with the 3rd general choice. A much better course can be outlined beginning with the North Star of this year's draft class, Ohio State pass receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
The Patriots company is experiencing a renewal with Bill Belichick's departure as overlord. How the group will run will be substantially various with director of hunting (aka basic supervisor) Eliot Wolf and head coach Jarod Mayo now blazing a trail.
The distinction in between these 2 programs currently appears night and day, with Mayo not being indifferent when inquired about what New England ought to do throughout April's draft.
“We're gon na prepare the very best gamer for a position that's really essential,” the coach reacted when asked straight about the 3rd total choice throughout an interview with CBS News Boston. “You put the pieces together.”
Mayo's response intimates a quarterback will be the option. The Patriots can stand … um, pat … and merely take whichever of the leading 3 quarterbacks stay after the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders pick their favored alternatives, whether it be USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye or LSU'S Jayden Daniels.
Nobody rejects how crucial the quarterback position is or how frantically New England requires to move far from the Mac Jones period. There is a much better method to go about attending to the company's existing setup that does not always include blinders with the 3rd choice.
The following is a multi-step strategy (in sequential order) for the Patriots to begin their restore in earnest, still land a quarterback they so frantically require and end up being a more competitive group, with Harrison functioning as the main foundation.
Step One: Trade Mac Jones for Whatever
New England Patriots quarterback Mac JonesRich Barnes/Getty Images
The NFL hunting integrate isn't simply a weeklong interview for inbound draft potential customers. It's likewise the most significant convention of the NFL season, where every group and all of its football workers remain in Indianapolis.
While the integrate and the draft are at the leading edge of every discussion, other subjects are brought up. The conversations in between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers for last year's No. 1 total choice started throughout integrate week.
The very same can be done by New England. Wolf must get feelers out to see what groups want to quit for Jones, who went from the Pro Bowl as a novice to benched in Year 3. Wolf can evaluate the marketplace, see what possible suitors are out there and consent to terms on an offer for whatever that will enter into impact at the start of the brand-new league year.
With Jones out of the method, the genuine reboot can start.
Step Two: Sign Joe Flacco in Free Agency
Free-agent quarterback Joe FlaccoRyan Kang/Getty Images
A small groan might originate from the Patriots faithful,
