1. With a 40-year-old Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco, there's no question the Patriots are in the market for a quarterback this offseason. With two first-round picks and two second-round picks, they could essentially move anywhere they want in the draft, but that of course would come with a cost. It's pretty obvious there's no shot at them trading into the top five, as it would likely take all of their first four picks, but there is a chance they could move up to the middle of the first round. The player who they could trade up to select? Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, who they reportedly have an "affinity" for. Mayfield is one of the more intriguing prospects in the draft because of his personality and sometimes over-confident attitude. Some people think that confidence is a good thing, while others believe it is over the top. Speaking of quarterbacks that come with a lot of baggage — what about Johnny Manziel? The free agent is attempting a comeback after not playing in the NFL since 2015 and the Patriots have attended two pro days where he's thrown in recent weeks, including reportedly speaking with him both before and after Texas A&M's. If it came down to Mayfield or Manziel, there's no question the Patriots would prefer Manziel. First off, people forget just how good Manziel was. Sure, he struggled with the Browns, but so has everyone else. The 25-year-old has said he's turned his life around and signing a player like Manziel wouldn't be the first time Bill Belichick has done something so against the grain. All Manziel wants is a chance and given his past, it would probably be a very cheap, one-year deal. If anything came up, he could be cut instantly with no impact on the team. (Signing him would also have to come with the organization looking extensively into his domestic violence case in 2016, which was eventually dismissed.) On the other hand, getting Mayfield would come at a cost since they would need to trade up 5-10 spots in the first round, which would likely take their No. 23 overall pick and one more of their three picks in the top 63 overall. This doesn't seem like something Belichick would be willing to do for one player, especially when there are other options at QB. It's also conceivable the report of the Patriots being interested in Mayfield was a smokescreen and he isn't actually on their radar. Mayfield or Manziel aside, don't discount Belichick making a bold move and signing Manziel — after all, it would basically be a no-lose situation.
2. When it comes to potential Patriots quarterback targets in the draft besides Mayfield, two stand out. If the organization truly believes in and likes Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph, it would not be a surprise to see it select him with one of its first-round selections. He may be the closest quarterback in the entire draft to what the organization values in a quarterback. The other is Kyle Lauletta out of Richmond. He would come later in the draft, likely with their third-round pick. Lauletta drew some comparisons to Garoppolo around the NFL combine and if the team waits until after the first two rounds to draft a quarterback, Lauletta would appear to be a good choice. While it would be ideal to select a QB, there's nothing that says the Patriots have to. If they don't like, or think it's worth selecting a quarterback in this year's draft, there are other potential ways to find Brady's eventual successor.
3. For the first time in the Belichick era, the Patriots have two first-round picks and two second-round picks. Given the fact Belichick has made 61 draft-day trades in his 18 drafts with the Patriots, there's always the chance the future Hall of Fame coach decides to flip some of these high picks for multiple later-round picks and future-year picks. This isn't the year to do it. Not making a first-round pick since 2015, the Patriots need to gain some young, talented players, and also the team has a couple of needs it needs to address via the draft and add players who can make impacts this year. Given how many impact players the Patriots need from this draft, the Patriots need to actually use these picks and select players who can help this coming season. Trading one of the picks to move back would be OK, but anything more than that is not the way to go this year.
4. The trade of Brandin Cooks really wasn't much of a surprise, as this is what Belichick does — trading players a year before they become free agents so he can get something for them. The same thing happened with Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins. It was a bit surprising they were able to get a first-round pick in return, as just look at how little they got for Jones and Collins. Getting a first-rounder for a player who was only going to be in New England for one more year, with all the depth players at receiver, it really was a no-brainer.
5. It's no secret by now, the trade of Cooks also indicates the organization first off isn't going to trade Rob Gronkowski, but also that it believes he will be playing in 2018. With that being said, it still doesn't mean everything is all well and good with Gronkowski and the team. A solution with Alex Guerrero still needs to be had, as well as addressing his general feelings about playing for Belichick, which he seemed to indicate in his infamous Instagram good-bye to Danny Amendola.
6. The 2018 regular-season schedule will be released later in the month, but it wouldn't be a shock to see the preseason slate come out as soon as this week. Last year the opponents came out on April 10 with the exact dates coming four days later. This comes with the potential for joint practices, which Belichick has done for the last several preseasons, including with multiple teams in a given preseason.
7. Every NFL team is required to hold a pre-draft press conference and for the last several years, director of player personnel Nick Caserio has held the Patriots'. That isn't the case this year, as Belichick will speak to the media this Friday morning at Gillette Stadium. It is a little interesting as to why, but it wouldn't be a surprise if it is at all connected to how last season ended and Belichick wanting to put on a good face.
