Did the Patriots just draft the next Drew Brees?
OK, that’s almost certainly a stretch, but Bailey Zappe’s college coach isn’t afraid to throw out the comparison.
In a recent interview with USA Today’s Henry McKenna, Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton said the Patriots’ fourth-round selection has some comparable traits to the all-time great.
“Bailey reminds me a lot of Drew,” Helton told Patriots Wire. “Bailey is — coming out of college — kind of Drew Brees-ish. Bailey has great anticipation. He sees it before it happens. And he has great accuracy, specifically deep ball accuracy. And those two things, you can’t teach.”
While it’s common for college coaches to talk up their NFL-bound players, comparing any quarterback to Brees — never mind a fourth-rounder — is quite a statement. But Helton isn't hesitant.
At 6-foot, 215 pounds, Zappe is an undersized pass-thrower, much like Brees, who also stands at 6-foot. Zappe also put up prolific numbers in his only season at Western Kentucky, completing 69.2 percent of his throws for 5,967 yards and 62 touchdowns.
Those are video game numbers.
To illustrate Zappe’s playmaking ability, Helton pointed to a 75-yard touchdown pass that Zappe unfurled in the Hilltopper’s bowl game against Appalachian State. Zappe dropped the ball into double coverage, and the receiver easily started streaking down the field for a long touchdown.
“All the really good quarterbacks — they can create,” Helton said. “When things aren’t exactly right, they get you in the right play or they see things that are going to happen and they can kind of tell the future. They see it before it happens. You can watch Bailey early on with what we were doing offensively and he just had a great knack for being able to put the ball in places where you were like, ‘Wow, how did he see that?’ That’s what the good ones are able to do. He’s so smart. Before the ball is even snapped, he knows what’s going to happen.”
The Patriots’ decision to draft Zappe was puzzling on the surface, considering they took Mac Jones in the first round last year, and he enjoyed a solid rookie season. But it’s unlikely Zappe will push Jones for the starting job. The Patriots have a thin QB depth chart, with Brian Hoyer coming back on a one-year deal and Jarrett Stidham entering the last year of his rookie contract. Bill Belichick routinely uses mid-round picks on quarterbacks, and Zappe appears to be in that mold.
New England could also flip him for a second- or third-round pick down the line. If Zappe’s preseason performances matches his college performance, then the Patriots could have a number of options at their disposal.
Either way, his coach is a believer.
