Draft QB or Trade Down? Chris Trapasso Weighs in on The Patriots Options
On Tuesday’s edition of Toucher & Hardy, Chris Trapasso who is a draft analyst for CBS Sports, joins the show and discusses the potential options that await the Patriots with the 3rd overall pick. Trapasso reccomends that the Patriots should either draft a QB or trade down in the draft.
That would be a pretty good option too…
Fred Toucher: Is there a reason the Patriots, in your estimation, should not take a quarterback at three? I’ll start with that.
Chris Trapasso: No, I’m a big person where being a draft analyst, it comes with the job that you’re going to get a lot of players wrong. Even Bill Belichick got a lot of players wrong, like greatest coach of all time. Yeah.
Fred Toucher: But it cost him his job. I’m just I’m taking a wild guess.
Chris Trapasso: So we’re I’ve kind of landed on this is you can go into a draft process and understand, “look I’m going to be wrong 60 to 70% of the time.” But what I think teams and for myself, draft analysts, have to get right is positional value. When you’re the Patriots and you have not picked anywhere close to this high since Jerod Mayo, in 2008, you need to pick the highest value positions. For the Patriots and Bob Kraft, they’re not wanting to pick here again. They don’t want to have the fifth pick next year. I think it’s a very good quarterback class. You don’t know if Drake Maye is going to be the one that really pops. Is it going to be Jayden Daniels? Is it going to be Caleb Williams? Is it two of those guys? Is it none of them? But I think you have to roll the dice at the most valuable position. Yes the last few years there was a lack of explosiveness on offense. Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe were not in the best situation. But we tend to see that the good quarterbacks can elevate those around them, and suddenly those “explosiveness problems” aren’t really question marks when you have that quarterback that can really move the needle. So I think unless they just totally are not entranced by who they would be able to pick at at number three overall, yes, I would say just because of positional value and the potential payout and dividend, you have to go quarterback at three if you’re the Patriots.
Fred Toucher: Okay. Just as a follow up so say they they there’s a team that’s willing to make the trade for three. They(The Patriots) pick up the phone. The Patriots get that team’s first round pick this year, their first round pick next year, maybe an additional pick. You just said you got a positional need. You need a quarterback. Is there a possibility that if trading down, picking up different extra draft capital, you believe one of these second tier quarterbacks is worth that kind of move?
Chris Trapasso: Absolutely.
Fred Toucher: So is JJ McCarthy far and away worse than the Daniels, Maye, and Caleb Williams in your opinion?
Chris Trapasso: No I don’t think so, and based on that situation I think that would be option number two in terms of just being the best option for the Patriots. You would have to look at it like this, Jayden Daniels, who’s kind of presumed right now to be the number the third overall pick or to be there at three when the Patriots go on the clock. Is Jayden Daniels a first round pick and change better than J.J. McCarthy? I don’t think he is. So I think if you’re the Patriots and you’re like, “Man, we have a bunch of needs, and we understand it probably is not going to be that super quick of a turnaround. Let’s build this team out at the start of the Jerod Mayo era”. If you don’t love Jayden Daniels, if it’s Drake Maye and you’re like, I don’t really love him. Let’s open up the phone lines. Like you said, get a 2025 first. It would probably get them a huge trade package for a team to come up for a quarterback or Malik Nabers or, Marvin Harrison Jr. I even like Spencer Rattler later. Probably not even in the first round, but JJ McCarthy would be the one because of his arm talent, the improvization ability, and the fact that he was pretty good even though he wasn’t the focal point. I think his best football is in front of him. If you put him with a lot of picks and all the money that the Patriots have in free agency, that would be a pretty good option too.
Listen to the full segment here!
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Mike Lockhart's NFL combine report: Under the radar quarterbacks
With the NFL Combine coming up this week in Indianapolis, the New England Patriots are sitting with the third overall pick in the NFL draft. After a 4-13 season that featured a talentless, anemic offense, it is apparent the offense can’t move with Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe as the team’s signal caller. Whether it be in free agency, the draft, or both, the position needs new blood. If New England decides to trade the third pick or draft another position, they will need to find a quarterback at some point.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 19: Spencer Rattler #7 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Iowa State Cyclones in the second quarter of the 2020 Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship football game at AT&T Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye should come off the boards early, if not top three. JJ McCarthey could go in the first or early second round. Patriots fans know you can get a pretty good player late in the draft. They once hit on a certain guy at pick 199. Matt Cassel made a lot of money in this league as a former seventh-round pick. The San Francisco 49ers struck gold with Brock Purdy as the last selection in the 2022 draft; he just went to the Super Bowl. Dak Prescott went off the boards in the fourth round. There are a few names here that could make waves on Sundays.
So let’s take a look at who could surprise in the 2024 draft.
Spencer Rattler, University of South Carolina
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 30: Quarterback Spencer Rattler #7 of the Oklahoma Sooners scrambles against the Florida Gators during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium on December 30, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Spencer Rattler was a highly regarded quarterback coming into his freshman year at Oklahoma. He redshirted that season as Jalen Hurts was the starter. The following year, Rattler took over and was proving to be worth the hype. Rattler had an impressive season with 28 touchdowns for 3,031 yards and only 7 interceptions. Things went the other way for Rattler the following year in Norman, and he transferred to South Carolina. That season, things got even worse. Rattler bounced back this season. He threw the same number of passes, and his interceptions went down. Spencer had an excellent week in Mobile at the Senior Bowl. He was about the only quarterback that made a name for himself that week. Others like Pennix, Nix, Milton, and Sam Hartman hurt their stock. If Rattler can come in and sit a year, he has the potential to be a starter. He will need to work on issues like holding the ball too long and being a more consistent performer at the position.
Michael Pratt, Tulane University
TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 15: Michael Pratt #7 of the Tulane Green Wave passes during a game against the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Michael Pratt has led Tulane to a lot of success in the last few seasons. He started for 4 years for the Green Wave. In 2022, Tulane went 12-2 and won the Cotton Bowl over a Caleb Williams-led USC squad. This past season, they went 11-3, with 22 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. He can also run and extend plays. Pratt rushed for 5 scores this year. One of my favorite things about Pratt is he doesn’t turn over the ball much. It’s been a few years since he had a multi-interception game. He has the size needed in the NFL at 6’3” 220 lbs. What he lacks in arm strength, he makes up with accuracy, toughness, and the ability to move his feet. He has the velocity on his throws to be successful at the next level. His deep ball is where he lacks strength.
Jordan Travis, Florida State University
CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 23: Jordan Travis #13 of the Florida State Seminoles looks to pass the ball against the Clemson Tigers during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
Jordan Travis’s career at FSU ended earlier than he wanted. Travis injured his ankle and had it surgically repaired. He leaves the Seminoles with 66 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in his career. The most interceptions he had in a season was six. This past year, he had only two. Travis is a very good athlete and can extend plays with his legs. He has good velocity on his throws. His deep ball needs work. Jordan would be best suited with a year on the bench in the NFL. You wish he was a little bigger at 6’1” 212 lbs. Jordan Travis could be a steal for a team in the third round if he checks out medically.
