An NFL insider described the ‘intrigue’ surrounding the Patriots taking a QB in the 2020 draft
"Everybody knows they're going to take a quarterback."
The quarterback questions surrounding the post-Tom Brady Patriots continue to swirl in the buildup to next week’s NFL Draft (April 23-25). One recent report hinted at a potential upcoming addition.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Patriots will select a quarterback in the 2020 draft. The only question is in which round.
“You try to talk to general managers and other evaluators about what the Patriots could actually do in this draft,” Rapoport explained in an interview. “Everybody knows they’re going to take a quarterback. And of course when they released Cody Kessler, it opened a spot in their quarterback room. They are going to select someone.”
From @NFLTotalAccess: #Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s conference call today only re-emphasized what we know — it’s going to be a bit different with Tom Brady. pic.twitter.com/pxXE099VUt
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 13, 2020
The Patriots currently possess the 23rd overall pick, as well as three third-round picks (though no second-round pick, which was traded for wide receiver Mohamed Sanu during the 2019 season). New England has 12 picks in total, including four in the sixth round.
“Obviously it does get complicated,” Rapoport continued. “They don’t have a second-round pick, so it seems to be either pick someone in the first round, or pick someone in the mid rounds. Really no in-between for the Patriots.
For Rapoport, the Patriots’ quarterback subplot is a leading story in this year’s draft despite New England not initially possessing a top-five pick.
“The fact that they don’t have Tom Brady, and no one has really seen what the Patriots look for in a top flight quarterback,” said Rapoport. “It’s been so long — really since Jimmy Garoppolo — since they used a premium pick on a quarterback. That’s why there’s so much intrigue surrounding them and who they actually like, and of course if one of the top quarterbacks slides like Tua [Tagovailoa] or Jordan Love, are the Patriots going to pick them, and when, is going to be the biggest storyline of the draft. Everyone expects them to make some sort of move.”
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