Recent buzz within the past week is that the New England Patriots are looking to move up into the top-10 of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Patriots currently hold the 15th overall pick, but it has been reported that they have their sights set on one specific quarterback. According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, New England has been calling teams inside the the top-10 to move up. The teams that have received those calls believe the Patriots are eying Ohio St. quarterback Justin Fields.
The teams that make the most sense for the Patriots to trade up with are the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers. New England might’ve had a plan to jump the Broncos for a quarterback, but now that the Broncos have traded for Teddy Bridgewater, Denver could even be an option to trade up with.
Multiple reports have suggested that the Broncos could still draft a quarterback with the No. 9 overall pick, but it seems unlikely with the addition of Bridgewater. Denver general manager George Paton has said that he has spoken with teams about possibly trading down.
Mike Reiss of ESPN.com has mentioned that if the Patriots do want to move up for a quarterback, they would likely have to trade away their second round pick in this year’s draft.
Ben Volin has said that the Patriots have traded up in the second round for the past three years and is expecting New England to draft a quarterback at some point.
One way that New England could move up in the draft, is by moving on from cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
According to Dianna Russini of ESPN, Gilmore could be part of a package that New England could put together to try and move up into the top-10. Gilmore is on the final year of his contract, but is “very open” to an extension.
If the Patriots remain at 15, they could be looking at defensive end Jaelen Phillips, cornerbacks Jaycee Horn, Patrick Surtain, or Greg Newsome. One name that is gaining steam is offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker from USC.
Either way, Bill Belichick and his Patriots could be making draft night very interesting.
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