The 2023 NFL Draft is officially less than a week away, and time is ticking for the New England Patriots in what could be one of their most important drafts in recent history. After some strong showings in recent drafts, the Pats need to hit on a handful of picks if they intend on bouncing back from their rough 2022 campaign that saw them miss the playoffs entirely for the second time in the past three seasons.
To this point, the Pats offseason has been middling at best. They've brought in some new faces, such as JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki, but they also lost Jakobi Meyers to the Las Vegas Raiders and Devin McCourty to retirement, and it's fair to wonder whether or not they have actually improved their roster to this point. That's why it is so important for them to have a good draft this year.
New England has 11 picks in the upcoming draft, headlined by the 14th overall pick in the first-round. Everyone is curious what avenue the Patriots will pursue given their plethora of needs right now, but one interesting spot that would shock fans if addressed with this high pick is the quarterback position. While it may seem idiotic to add a quarterback in the first-round, it could actually be a move that benefits the Pats moving forward.
Why using first-round pick on quarterback would make sense for Patriots
Before we get into this, allow me to preface by saying that I would be shocked if the Patriots drafted a quarterback with the 14th overall pick of the draft. They have several needs that are way more pressing, and while there's been speculation about Mac Jones' future with the team, no moves have been made to indicate that his job is actually in jeopardy.
However, if there's one guy who could shock the NFL by making such a move, it would be Bill Belichick. One needs to only think back to the 2022 NFL Draft, when Belichick traded back in the first-round, only to end up taking Cole Strange, who was widely expected to be a Day 2 pick. Strange was a plug-and-play guard on New England's offensive line, but it shows that Belichick isn't exactly one to follow conventional NFL wisdom.
At first glance, it doesn't really seem like this is the year for New England to invest in a quarterback. They only recently took Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and they invested a fourth-round pick in Bailey Zappe in last year's draft. Zappe had his moments filling in for Jones last season, but this is still Jones' position to lose.
Rumors continue to persist, though, that Belichick isn't happy with Jones for a myriad of reasons that popped up during the 2022 campaign. Jones has the inside track to be the Pats Week 1 starter, but it feels like he's on thin ice with Belichick right now. Could that be enough to push the Pats to draft a quarterback in the first-round, though?
There are a couple of indications that suggest that could actually be something New England looks into. For starters, they have had meetings with some of the top quarterbacks available in the draft, and even used their final day of pre-draft visits to host Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. Plus, it's not like Jones has been a superstar through two seasons; his potential production shouldn't deter the Patriots from making such a move here.
The quarterback position is the most important position in the NFL, and Belichick knows this. Using a first-rounder on another quarterback when you have another former first-rounder in Jones seems a bit unnecessary, but it could create an advantageous situation for New England. If Jones pans out, and the first-round QB they take shows promise whenever they take the field, the Patriots could conceivably pull off a trade involving one of these guys and get a very nice haul.
Wouldn't it make more sense to just address a bigger area of need with this pick? It depends on how confident the team feels about Jones. If they are rock solid with him heading into 2023, then this isn't even a discussion, but the thing is, they don't seem to feel great about him, which is why this is a possibility that has to at least be considered.
If this were to happen, which quarterbacks would make the most sense for the Patriots? Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud aren't going to be available when the Pats pick, but there's a decent chance Anthony Richardson or the aforementioned Levis will still be around. Levis fits the Pats system better than Richardson, but Richardson's ceiling may allow him to become the top QB in this draft class.
Richardson is a particularly enticing option, because it wouldn't necessarily mean that Jones' tenure with the Pats is over. Richardson isn't an NFL ready player right now, so Jones could play out the string for another season or two while Richardson develops. Picking between two first-round QBs in the future would be tough, but there's no guarantee both of them will pan out. But the thing is, there's a better chance that one of them pans out and becomes New England's quarterback of the future, which would help make the Pats a playoff contender again.
The Patriots quarterback rumors have made this such an interesting proposition, because it really shouldn't be a question. But the more you think about it, it's not the worst idea that's being floated around for Patriots draft suggestions. It would surely be one of the most shocking moves of the draft, but taking a quarterback in the first-round could actually be an idea that has benefits for New England moving forward.
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