PATRIOTS NEWS: Patriots Decide on Skilful Quarterback Stands With Club- Whether To Keep Or Let Go!!

Matt St. Jean’s second mock of the season shows how the Patriots could build the offense for a future QB.

My good friend Pat Lane sought to answer the question, “What would it look like if the Patriots made a big move up for a QB?” in his last mock draft. In this one, I look to answer something very different: what if the New England Patriots don’t like this quarterback class very much?

Let’s break it down. There are six quarterbacks whose names are thrown around as top-75 picks with starter potential.

Two, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, are likely off the board before the Patriots make a pick if we look at most mock drafts.

The next option, LSU star and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels started five seasons and only looked like a first-round pick in his final one. That also coincided with the development of two likely first-round receivers and one of the top offensive lines in the country. Daniels is an electric player, but also a risky prospect to take at pick No. 3 with what we know about hit rates for late bloomers.

Michigan starter and national champion J.J. McCarthy has also gotten first-round buzz. He’s the youngest of the options, turning 21 days after the Wolverines won the title. McCarthy shows most traits you want in the NFL starter, but he is unpolished and likely requires a year to sit and develop. Do you want to wait a year to see what you have in a guy who only has good, but not great, traits? (If your answer to that question is yes, check out my last mock draft.)

The final two quarterbacks are the two from the Pacific Northwest. Oregon starter Bo Nix won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year after putting up big numbers, but a disappointing Senior Bowl performance coupled with his age begs questions about how high his ceiling is as a prospect. Nix is the oldest of the bunch with 61 college games under his belt; how likely is it he’s already maxed out his abilities?

The other Pac-12 star is Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. who wowed on social media with his Sugar Bowl performance against Texas. He was plagued by injuries through four years at Indiana, never playing more than seven games in a season, before breaking through with two full seasons of strong performance at Washington. Although his receiving corps likely won’t have two first-round picks like Daniels, Penix Jr. had an elite supporting cast with three receivers expected to be taken in the top 100 and a tackle who could slip into the late first round.

All of these options come with a high level of risk, a risk I’m not sure I’m acceptable taking when there are high-quality prospects available to restock a bare offensive cupboard. This mock shows what it could look like if the Patriots signed a bridge quarterback and decided to work on building an offense for a future rookie starter.