Patriots’ Top 2021 NFL Draft Targets
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Ever since Tom Brady departed the New England Patriots, their quarterback situation has been beneath tight scrutiny.
So, for certain, the controversy in the buildup to the 2021 NFL draft revolves around potential moves Bill Belichick can accept as true with to land the quarterback of the long trot.
Cam Newton is help for one more season, however he showed in 2020 that he’s now no longer the long-duration of time solution on the situation.
Whereas it would perchance well be nice for the Pats to land one among the tip 5 rate-callers, they would well now no longer be in the marketplace for one with the 15th overall raise.
If New England does now no longer alternate up, it has to place in mind filling other needs before attacking the quarterback situation on Friday or Saturday.
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If the San Francisco 49ers are having a ogle at Mac Jones or Trey Lance at No. 3, Justin Fields can also raise a plunge that the Patriots can also raise abet of.
Fields has extra starting trip than Jones and Lance from two years at Ohio Enlighten, and he proved he can also thrive in colossal video games with 385 passing yards and six touchdowns in the College Soccer Playoff semifinal in opposition to Clemson.
Relying on how the draft shakes out, the Patriots can also must transfer up about a positions to land his providers and products.
The neatly suited potential spots to alternate up needs to be with Detroit at No. 7 or Carolina at No. 8. It would help New England to secure ahead of the Denver Broncos lawful in case they desire to land a replace for Drew Lock.
If the Patriots take to prevent put at No. 15, they can also fail to see the tip 5 quarterbacks and try to land one to work beneath Newton in the mid-to-unhurried rounds.
In spite of the total lot, that used to be the scheme that labored with Brady in 2000.
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If New England needs to present Newton one extra year on the helm, it needs to surround him with extra weapons.
Rashod Bateman would perchance well be the correct on hand on the situation after Ja’Marr Crawl, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen High-tail come off the board.
The 21-year-frail broke out in 2019 with 1,219 receiving yards in the course of Minnesota‘s 11-2 season. He had 472 yards on 36 receptions in the truncated 2020 marketing campaign.
New England brought in Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor in free agency, on the opposite hand it restful needs a factual No. 1 wideout to emerge from the avid gamers on its roster.
Bateman can also compose into that form of player, and if he performs neatly in 2021, the Pats would perchance well even possess a deep receiver corps with N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers moreover chipping in.
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Caleb Farley will seemingly fall to No. 15 thanks to about a hurt issues from his time at Virginia Tech.
When wholesome, the 22-year-frail is one among the correct cornerbacks in the draft class, which makes him an bright prospect for the Patriots with Stephon Gilmore on the closing year of his contract.
In two seasons on the discipline, Farley earned six interceptions, alongside with four in his sophomore marketing campaign in 2019.
NFL Community’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported “several frequent managers instructed NFL.com this week they don’t desire any main issues about the clinical picture on Farley and mediate he’ll restful dart in Spherical 1. Others divulge they mediate he’ll high-tail to Spherical 2.”
If Farley recovers from his help injuries, he’ll be engrossing for practising camp and can stop up as a doable successor to Gilmore.
If Patrick Surtain II or Jaycee Horn in a scheme fall previous the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, New England must restful place in mind one among them, on the opposite hand it would no longer seem seemingly they can plunge to No. 15.
Practice Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.