The New England Patriots are reportedly eyeing a quaterback in Thursday’s NFL Draft and have made calls around the league about a potential trade up.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the Patriots have been made calls with teams, looking to move up from No. 15 overall to draft Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields:
On Sunday night, a report surfaced that the San Francisco 49ers have narrowed their options for the No. 3 pick down to Mac Jones and Trey Lance, which could create a scenario where Fields could fall in the back half of the top 10, opening the door for the Patriots to move up and select him.
Fields threw for 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns against six interceptions while adding 383 yards and five scores on the ground in 2020. He helped lead Ohio State to a national championship berth before losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Patriots remain in search for their next franchise quarterback after Tom Brady’s departure last offseason. They re-signed Cam Newton to a one-year contract but the former NFL MVP wasn’t as productive for most of 2020 and doesn’t seem like the long term answer in Foxboro. The Patriots have already had a wild offseason, signing Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith to jump-start their offseason. All they need now is a long term answer at quarterback and the former Ohio State prospect could be it.
