Patriots have one exec in attendance at Ohio State Pro Day

Author Matt Dolloff

March 30th, 2021 9:43 AM

The New England Patriots sent one front office executive to the Ohio State Pro Day on Tuesday, when top quarterback prospect Justin Fields and others will work out for GMs and scouts in attendance.

According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, the Pats sent front office consultant Eliot Wolf to Columbus for the Ohio State Pro Day on Tuesday. Wolf originally joined the Patriots during the 2020 off-season, after serving as the Cleveland Browns’ assistant GM from 2018-19. Wolf previously worked in various roles with the Green Bay Packers from 2011-17, most recently as their director of football operations.

Wolf appears to be one of the Patriots’ point men for the top quarterback prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft. He also attended BYU’s Pro Day last week, when Zach Wilson worked out. It’s highly unlikely the Patriots will draft Wilson, but they did their due diligence in the event that the New York Jets draft him at No. 2 overall when the 2021 draft kicks off on April 29.

In addition, the Patriots sent national scout Mike Groh to the Pro Day for North Dakota State to see fellow top QB prospect Trey Lance. Bill Belichick, meanwhile, is widely expected to attend Alabama’s Pro Day on Tuesday after appearing at Miami’s Pro Day on Monday.

It’s been speculated that the Patriots are “really high” on Fields, but they’d have some serious competition and likely have to trade up in the draft order to even have the chance to take him. Teams with higher draft spots than the Patriots have a much greater presence in Columbus on Tuesday, including the Jets, 49ers, Falcons, Lions, Panthers, Broncos, and Eagles.

Ultimately, it’s more likely the Patriots go defense in the first round than give up the draft capital required to jump all the aforementioned clubs just to draft Fields. Scroll down for a list of solid QB prospects that should be available to the Patriots on Day 2.

• Kyle Trask, Florida

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  Trask has prototypical size at 6-foot-5 and projects as an accurate and productive pocket passer at the NFL level. One of the big knocks on him is his lack of mobility, which will hinder his chances to improvise when plays break down like many other QBs can do in the modern NFL. So Trask will need to excel as a pure pocket passer to be a good long-term starter. But the tools and the potential are there.

• Jamie Newman, Georgia

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  Newman was a Bulldog in name only. He transferred to Georgia for his senior year after three seasons at Wake Forest, but ended up opting out of the 2020 season. He had some impressive moments during Senior Bowl week, though, and met with all 32 teams. Fair or not, Newman's decision to opt out will be held against him. But whoever drafts him will get a QB with good size (6-foot-4) and the physical tools to be a legitimate dual threat. He'll need time to develop since he's behind other prospects in that regard.

• Kellen Mond, Texas A&M

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  Mond's name came up in the news cycle recently, after noted contrarian Chris Simms put him in his top-5 QB prospects heading into the draft. Most other analysts project Mond as a third or fourth-rounder at best, mainly due to his inconsistency with his accuracy and mechanics during his time in college. He doesn't sound like a Belichick type of QB, but Mond's size and athletic ability give him a chance to be molded into something down the road.
• Davis Mills, Stanford

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  Mills is another pocket passer who lacks the ideal mobility of the modern prototype for a franchise quarterback. He also played only two seasons as a starter in college. These factors should keep Mills in the late day 2-early day 3 range at the draft, and a huge Pro Day might be his only way out of that. But Mills' short-to-intermediate accuracy does make him a Belichick type of prospect, in theory. In the right situation, there's potential for Mills to become something better than his draft stock.

• Shane Buechele, SMU

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  Belichick may like Buechele because he's demonstrated good accuracy and decision-making running the SMU offense. His high football I.Q. may allow him to at least carve out a nice, long career as a backup. The problem is Buechele lacks ideal size (6-foot-1), arm strength, and athleticism for the position at the highest level. So his accuracy, ball security, and command of the offense will have to be impeccable for him to sustain a career as a legit starter. And it's why he could end up going on Day 3 instead of Day 2. But he's a name to know for the Patriots.

MORE: Are The Patriots Actually High On Justin Fields?

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 [email protected].

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Author Matt Dolloff

Category:

• Patriots
• News

Tags:

Bill Belichick,Justin Fields,Matt Dolloff,New England Patriots,NFL,nfl draft,ohio state