New England Patriots Draft Rumors: Pats Eye QB Dak Prescott Of MSU, Jimmy Garoppolo On Trade Block?
As every New England Patriots fan knows, the team will go into the 2016 NFL Draft that opens April 28 with no selection in the first round, thanks to penalties imposed by the National Football League in connection with the so-called Deflategate affair — penalties that Patriots owner Robert Kraft chose to simply accept rather than contest.
As a result, New England has no pick at all until 59 players have already come off the draft board — a fact which has set off rumors even more intense and puzzling than usual as to how Patriots Coach and General Manager Bill Belichick will use that draft slot Number 60.
The latest speculation from experts on the Patriots within the New England media has Belichick using that selection to choose a quarterback.
While it may seem strange for the Patriots to use any draft pick on a quarterback, given that for the past 15 years and, under his contract at least two more, New England has had Tom Brady to fill the position — a four time Super Bowl winner, three-time Super Bowl MVP, two-time NFL MVP and certain first-ballot Hall of Famer.
But according to Patriots correspondent Christopher Price of WEEI.com, using draft picks on quarterbacks has actually been a regular occurrence under the Belichick regime in New England.
“Just about every year, the Patriots go after a quarterback, either in the late rounds or as an undrafted free agent,” Price wrote on his WEEI blog Sunday.
“Whether it’s an attempt to try and develop a new arm, adding an extra signal-caller in hopes of taking some reps off the likes of Tom Brady or Jimmy Garoppolo or hoping to find someone they can spin out of New England in an eventual trade, New England always seems to be on the lookout for a quarterback in the late rounds of the draft,” Price continued.
Prescott, in an interview last week, said that the offense his team ran at Mississippi State was based directly on the Patriots’ style. “We were a team with a lot of NFL reads,” Prescott said.
“We got a lot of plays from the Patriots, from the Texans,” he continued. “So specifically, those two. Coach (Dan) Mullen really loves what Coach Belichick does and what coach O’Brien does. Those two offenses are very similar.”
The following video shows Prescott in action against rival Louisiana State University.
Prescott worked out at the NFL combine this week, but his performance in the combine drills was considered somewhat disappointing. He is expected to fall to a lower round in the draft, where he could be available to the Patriots at Number 60.
Asked an NFL QB coach about Miss. State’s Dak Prescott. Said he was terrific in interview, but just OK in workout.
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) February 28, 2016
There goes @15_DakP (@HailStateFB)! #NFLCombine https://t.co/fqIReWLi2d
— NFL (@NFL) February 27, 2016
New England also has single picks in the third, fourth and seventh rounds, plus two picks in the sixth round. In addition to losing their first-round pick as part of the controversial Deflategate discipline, the Patriots previously traded their fifth-roumd pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for wide receiver Keyshawn Martin.
If Belichick did select Dak Prescott, whose powerful fullback-like build has led him to be described by scouts as “Tim Tebow-like,” the Patriots would likely then package current Brady backup Jimmy Garoppolo in a trade, possibly targeting the second round pick, 52nd overall, held by the Texans.
RELATED STORIES:
2016 NFL Draft: California’s Jared Goff To Be First Quarterback Taken, Will The Browns Select Him At No. 2?
Patriots Rumors: Could New England Patriots Get NFL Draft Picks Back?
Jerod Mayo Retires: New England Patriots LB Retires After 8 Years, Confirms News On Instagram
New England Patriots Rumors: Sterling Shepard To Pats In 2016 NFL Draft — Or Will It Be Maurice Canady?
Senior Bowl Week: Dallas Cowboys Are Eyeing A Quarterback In The NFL Draft
New England Patriots: Deflategate Judges Look Like Good News For Tom Brady — Appeal Hearing Set For March 3
Houston is desperately in the market for a quarterback, and was known to have interest in Garoppolo leading into the 2014 draft.
The New England Patriots briefly signed Tim Tebow prior to the 2013 season, which would indicate that Belichick has interest in a backup quarterback fitting the Tebow mold and could look for one in the draft. Scouts say that Dak Prescott, however, has a better arm and is a more accomplished passer than Tim Tebow.
[Photo By Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images]
