New England Reportedly Looking to Trade Up in the Draft

Apr 26, 2021

Dec 28, 2020; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick watches from the sideline as they take on the Buffalo Bills in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

News has already broken that the 49ers are still undecided as to who they want at quarterback. However, the two names that have emerged at the top of their list are Mac Jones and Trey Lance: not Justin Fields. Because of this, there may be a sense of urgency for some other teams to get in the top-10, ahead of the Denver Broncos, who are also likely to pick a quarterback at No. 9.

The latest team reportedly looking to trade up is the New England Patriots. They have apparently reached out to multiple teams since the San Francisco news broke, and everyone is in agreement that they are wanting Justin Fields. It makes a lot of sense, so much sense that I had them trading up to No. 4, swapping picks with the Atlanta Falcons in my three-round mock draft. New England has Cam Newton, but he was very lackluster in 2020 when he played. This can be attributed to a couple things: lack of weapons, COVID after-effects, or the most worrysome, he just isn’t that good anymore.

Several teams have been making calls about getting into the top 10 of next week’s NFL Draft — including the #Patriots, who could have their eyes on Ohio State QB Justin Fields if he begins to slide. @gmfb @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/GjJazJXZQp
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 26, 2021

At the very least, the 31-year-old Newton is not a long-term solution for the Patriots. Justin Fields, on the other hand, brings a similar talent that we saw out of the former MVP in Carolina. Fields is a very competent runner from the quarterback position, but his throwing arm is arguably already better than Newton’s ever was. He is accurate and has a deadly deep ball in his arsenal. If nothing else, Newton could be a very good player for Fields to watch for a year before taking over the reins in New England.