Patriots ‘heavily’ scouting top quarterback prospects in 2021 draft

There’s promising news for those who want the Patriots to land one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft.

According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the Patriots are “heavily scouting” all the quarterback prospects expected to go early in the 2021 draft. Howe explains in great detail why the Patriots are doing this, and it’s not necessarily because they’re definitely going to take a QB. Oftentimes, they simply want to do their due diligence on every QB whether they draft them or not, if only to scout him as a future opponent. For example, they know they’re not getting Trevor Lawrence – but they are getting the Jacksonville Jaguars on their 2021 schedule.

But what if the Patriots really do want one of the top QB prospects? There’s a good chance they have to trade up if they want BYU’s Zach Wilson, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance. Even Alabama’s Mac Jones could draw enough interest to go before the Patriots pick at No. 15 overall.

Bill Belichick isn’t moving up for one of these guys unless he knows enough to peg them as the Patriots’ long-term answer at quarterback. And you’d have to give him a better chance of being right about such a move than, say, the Bears were when they traded up in the 2017 draft to take Mitchell Trubisky with Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson available.

This isn’t the first time that the Patriots have been reported to be in on the top quarterbacks in the draft, only for them to do things like drafting Sony Michel over Lamar Jackson or taking Danny Etling in the seventh round. That doesn’t mean the reports aren’t true. It just doesn’t exactly indicate how interested they are in making one of these prospects their own.

But if they don’t identify their guy in 2021, when will they? If Belichick lands a more established bridge quarterback who can buy him a year, perhaps you could wrap your head around the Patriots skipping the 2021 class. But the team’s relative neglect of the most important position in the game is what led them to this point in the first place.

So maybe Belichick feels it’s finally time to take the plunge with a quarterback in the draft – early. These guys aren’t all going to suck. But if the Patriots don’t find their next starting quarterback in a hurry, there’s a chance the team does.

MORE: Alex Barth’s Patriots Mock Draft 1.0

• Round 1 Pick 15: Trade

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  This trade makes sense for the Patriots because quality will be as important as quantity in this year’s draft. Yes, they move down 10 spots in the first round, but go up 49 spots from the third to second round, and 40 spots from the sixth to the fourth round. On top of that, there is absolutely no chance Bill Belichick keeps the Tom Brady comp pick, which is the third-rounder used here. He won’t allow Brady’s departure to be tied to one single player. If you thought the Jimmy Garoppolo trade tree was wild, just wait.

• Round 1 Pick 25: QB Mac Jones, Alabama

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  Will the Patriots give Mac Jones the thumbs up on draft night? The Alabama signal caller is a high floor option who can facilitate an offense - assuming they use their bounty of cap space to vastly improve the talent around him.

• Round 2 Pick 46: LB Chazz Surratt, North Carolina

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  The Patriots seem to have an affinity for players who changed positions during their college career (Jakobi Meyers, J.C. Jackson). Chazz Surratt is a quarterback-turned-linebacker who could fill Dont'a Hightower's role one day if they coach him up right.
• Round 2 Pick 47: Trade

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  Once again, the Patriots move down to move up. By dropping five spots in the second round, they turn the second-to-last pick in this year’s fourth round into what should be an early-to-middle fourth round pick in 2022. That also recoups the future pick they gave up in the Jacksonville trade.

• Round 2 Pick 52: DL Marvin Wilson, Florida State

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  The Patriots have a solid history with big yet athletic defensive linemen from ACC Florida schools, and Marvin Wilson fits that description. He moves surprisingly well given his 6-foot-3, 319 pound frame, which allows him to be effective in both 3-4 and 4-3 fronts. If he can learn to use his feet as effectively as he uses his hands, he can be a three-down problem for opposing offenses.

• Round 3 Pick 74: Trade

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  Bill Belichick rarely lets major gaps pass without making a pick. 52 to 106 is too much of a break, so the Patriots use a future asset to jump back into the third round, and pick up a bonus top-100 pick.
• Round 3 Pick 74: WR Jaelon Darden, North Texas

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  Jaelon Darden does most of his damage with yards after the catch, once telling a TV crew, “Making someone miss is like waking up in the morning and brushing my teeth…I gotta do it every day,” and “slow feet don’t eat.” He matches his twitch and elite footwork with explosiveness out of his cuts, which results in plays where he weaves his way between defenders as he gets downfield. The Patriots need a receiver who can do damage with the ball in his hands, wherever he has it on the field.

• Round 4 Pick 106: T James Hudson, Cincinnati

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  James Hudson was originally recruited to Michigan as a defensive lineman, but switched to offense after transferring to Cincinnati. He's still raw when it comes to technique, but has a ton of physical upside. The Patriots have a history of turning those kinds of project linemen into starting-caliber players.

• Round 4 Pick 139: S Richard LeCounte III, Georgia

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  A consensus first-round pick this time last year, a dirt bike accident in October has teams thinking twice about Richard LeCounte. While the details of the incident aren't public, teams will do their digging. Any who are willing to look past it will get a highly intelligent safety and strong leader on and off the field.
• Round 5 Pick 160: EDGE Elerson Smith, Northern Iowa

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  The Patriots hit on a non-FBS pick last year when they took Kyle Dugger. Could they do it again with Elerson Smith? The Northern Iowa pass rusher is starting to build his frame for the NFL, and showed at the Senior Bowl that he can keep up with top-level talent.

• Round 6 Pick 201: TE Tre’ McKitty, Georgia/Florida State

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  Tre' McKitty doesn't do any one thing great, but he's good at everything, especially after refining his blocking ability last year at Georgia. He'd probably be a higher pick in a weaker tight end class (see: 2020), so this could be a chance for the Patriots to take advantage and grab a solid player with some value.

• For the full Patriots Mock Draft 1.0, click below.

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  For a full breakdown of any of the players listed above, click here.

MORE: Quarterback Options For 2021 Patriots

• Jimmy Garoppolo

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  Duh. Jimmy G should be at the top of everyone’s list for realistic or probable quarterback options for the Patriots - even if it means a trade. Bill Belichick should have to give up a package closer to the Carson Wentz trade than Matthew Stafford to get back his original successor for Tom Brady. Durability is an issue, but Garoppolo should remain a great fit for the Pats.

• Dak Prescott

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  It would be unprecedented if Belichick spent as much on a quarterback as he would need to for Prescott. But we’re talking about an excellent fit for the Patriots and their franchise guy for a decade, assuming he’s the same player after his ankle injury. Belichick could afford Prescott and wouldn’t need to give up draft capital, but it’s more likely the Patriots take a less expensive route.

• Derek Carr

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  It feels like forever ago when Carr was an MVP candidate as he led the Raiders to a 12-3 record with strong passing numbers. He’s been an efficient passer and would likely manage the Patriots offense well. But has he proven enough to be confident he can win? The Patriots would need to continue to improve the team around Carr to become a legitimate contender.
• QB Mitchell Trubisky

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  This is a Belichick kind of free agent. Trubisky’s stock is down after entering the NFL as the No. 2 overall pick. He hasn’t made enough plays or shown nearly enough consistency throwing the ball to emerge as a franchise quarterback. Belichick might love the challenge of making Trubisky the player he was meant to be. But if the Patriots go this route, they’d better have a good plan B.

• Marcus Mariota

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  The former Titans quarterback looked solid in his one start for the Raiders in 2020. He’s had a bit of bad luck cycling through three coaches and five (!) different offensive coordinators, so some stability could do him some good. He’d be relatively cheap to acquire. The concern with Mariota is that he may not be good enough to elevate everyone else around him, so better weapons would be imperative.

• QB Jacoby Brissett

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  Like Garoppolo, the familiarity is a big plus for Brissett. He had flashes of success as the starter for the Colts. Brissett is at least competent throwing the football, so he’d certainly be an improvement over Cam Newton. But ideally, he would be paired with a high draft pick in the QB room. It shouldn't take much to sign him, either.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick

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  Like with Brissett and others, if Fitzpatrick signs with the Patriots the ideal situation is to pair him with a rookie first-round pick. You start with Fitzpatrick, get a little FitzMagic out of him, and hopefully the kid is ready to go once Fitzpatrick goes in the tank. This type of scenario is becoming more probable as the offseason goes on.

MORE: Patriots Trade Up For QB In Kiper’s Mock Draft

Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @mattydsays. You can also email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.