Lamar Jackson’s draft stock has been on a steady rise for quite some time now. Despite initial concerns about his ability to play quarterback at the next level as well as some problems stemming from his lack of an agent, the Louisville quarterback has continued to gain fans around the league.
According to Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman, teams have been particularly impressed by Jackson’s intelligence and football acumen. And apparently, the team that’s shown the most interest in the former Heisman Trophy winner is the New England Patriots.
The Patriots have widely been tipped to pick up a quarterback in this upcoming draft. This makes a lot of sense given that Tom Brady is now in his 40s and his supposed successor, Jimmy Garoppolo, is now in San Francisco after they traded him away last season.
They acquired an additional first-round pick in the Brandin Cooks trade, which has given them additional ammunition to trade up for a top quarterback prospect. And with Jackson’s stock potentially putting him into the top 10, the Patriots will likely need to trade up in order to get him if they are indeed that enamored with him.
The Patriots’ interest in Jackson appears to be right in line with their M.O. in recent years of targeting more mobile quarterbacks, from Tim Tebow to Johnny Manziel to Jacoby Brissett. If they do end up pulling the trigger on a deal to go up and get Jackson, it would be a major endorsement in the Patriots’ belief that he is capable of eventually succeeding Brady.
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