After a disappointing campaign in 2020, the New England Patriots headed into the offseason looking to improve their roster and return to contention. The Patriots have made several moves in free agency, adding key players at different positions. But aside from bringing in new players, New England also brought back some familiar faces, such as quarterback Cam Newton.

But even if Newton will be back in Foxborough, there is speculation that the Patriots are still looking to add another quarterback from the 2021 NFL Draft, where they own the 15th overall pick. While this year’s rookie class indeed has talented signal-callers, the understanding is that the team would need to trade up in order to draft a potential franchise quarterback.

In his latest mock draft, however, ESPN’s Todd McShay predicted that New England would move up to the 11th pick and select Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. Given his status as a highly-touted prospect, it seems unlikely Fields would fall down to No. 11. ESPN’s Mina Kimes reacted to McShay’s mock draft and said that she wants to call for an investigation if the former Buckeye goes to New England.

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There are a lot of teams ahead of the Patriots in the draft who are in need of a quarterback, and a lot of things would have to go their way in order for them to select a player of Fields’ caliber. If Bill Belichick does get his hands on the Ohio State product, Kimes said that there should be a celebration in New England and protest in Denver, one of the teams picking before them.

Given Drew Lock’s struggles with the Broncos, it seems unlikely that they would pass on Fields if he becomes available to them. However, until the picks are made, anything is possible, especially if New England is able to trade up and get a higher pick on draft night. Meanwhile, Patriots fans certainly hope that the team would have a chance to draft Fields or another talented quarterback.