For the first time in several seasons, the New England Patriots are venturing into the offseason without a young quarterback behind Tom Brady on the roster. It has brought up persistent questions concerning the long-term future at the position after Brady's tenure comes to a close.
This has put the front office in an interesting position to resolve that situation in the offseason. According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, this has led NFL Network's Mike Mayock to voice that he believes the Patriots will look to take a quarterback in the second or third round of this year's draft.
“Historically what [Bill Belichick] has shown you, and you can go back to before [Jimmy] Garoppolo and [Jacoby] Brissett — he took a third-round pick on Ryan Mallett. So it's second- and third-round picks with the anticipation of Tom Brady having to retire some day. It's getting more and more urgent, obviously,” Mayock said.
The Patriots may have Brian Hoyer under contract through the 2020 season, but he just isn't a development project. Hoyer has already shown what type of quarterback he is on the field at both his previous stops with the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns as he has been able to achieve any sustained success with either franchise.
There could several intriguing options in this year's draft at the second and third round that could include Louisville's Lamar Jackson, Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph, and Washington State's Luke Falk. Each of these prospects could sit prosper in backup role learning how to succeed at the next level as the backup to Brady. The Patriots currently possess two second-round picks and a third rounder, which could see them use one of their second-rounders to draft a quarterback.
What this should make clear is that the Patriots will be in the position to possibly select their next young quarterback to groom as Brady's eventual successor.
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