Could the Patriots be targeting a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft?
Despite Jarrett Stidham, who was drafted in the fourth round last year, being on the roster, some believe the Patriots could target the position again this year. One of those people is Charles Davis, who recently joined CBS Sports and will be its No. 2 NFL analyst this coming season.
Davis joined Marc James Sunday morning on WEEI and made the case for the Patriots to select Love at No. 23 overall.
“I do think it is highly unlikely in a lot of cases, but in other reasons for me it makes sense," he said. "They’ve got a young man that they drafted last year in (Jarrett Stidham) that is already there. He knows their system because remember Josh McDaniels is there, but do we know he is truly the guy for the future? The answer is no. He will have to prove himself. There’s a reason they brought back Brian Hoyer, who has been very dependable for them. He knows what is going on, adapts really well. He can help the young quarterback, and if the young quarterback didn’t hold up in the beginning, he could play for them. So, they know all of that.
"But, to be able to bring in a guy who you can groom from the beginning, no pressure really whatsoever -- normally, first-round guys have a lot of pressure to play. I don’t think that would be the case in New England because they would bring him along the right way. Remember, even though Brady was a sixth-rounder and no one expected much from him, it still took awhile before they decided to put him out there. Obviously, after Drew Bledsoe, etc.
“I think with Love and his talents and abilities and a chance to groom him a little bit before having to put him on the field, that gives you a chance to start your new era without having to actually start your new era. And it goes against the face of convention because in the NFL if you draft a quarterback in the first round, I don’t care where you are, he’s going to play pretty quickly, right? It is rare that he sits forever. I think in this case, that might actually be the case. They would actually sit him for awhile before they threw him into the fray.”
Love has thrown for over 7,000 yards the last two seasons and over those 16 games he's thrown 52 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.
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