The NFL Draft usually has its fair share of surprises that end up throwing the first round into all sorts of chaos as the Mel Kiper Jr. of the world is left scrambling for excuses.
That first surprise this year could come via the New England Patriots according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler who said on SportsCenter Saturday morning that the Pats are “comfortable with (Jacoby Brissett) as a bridge starter playing some games next year regardless of what they do at quarterback” and that “it’s not even a slam dunk they take a quarterback right now.” Fowler went on to add, “I have talked to a few teams that are drafting in the top 10-12 that wonder if the quarterback they want isn’t there at No. 3 do they just take a Marvin Harrison Jr., stockpile some picks”.
Despite the Patriots being “comfortable” with Brissett, they’ve certainly been doing their homework when it comes to the higher-end QB prospects heading into the draft hosting the likes of North Carolina’s Drake Maye while also scheduling visits with LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Michigan’s JJ McCarthy.
Meanwhile, NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran on the Patriots Talk Podcast mentioned another possibility that New England could be looking to acquire as many as three first-round picks by trading back in the first round based on the notion that QBs in this draft could come at a premium. This would especially be the case for the likes of the New York Giants (No. 6), Minnesota Vikings (No. 11), Denver Broncos (No. 12), and Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13) who could all get themselves into a bidding war for that third overall pick leaving the Patriots as huge benefactors in the process.
