Will the Patriots target a quarterback in the NFL Draft?
If they do, perhaps the team could target North Dakota State's Trey Lance. On a video conference Tuesday, NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah believes Bill Belichick could have a thing for the quarterback.
"I don't know what direction Coach Belichick wants to go," he said to reporters. "Does he want to try and do a little bit more of a new school really mobile athletic quarterback where he can do some quarterback run stuff and then hopefully you get somebody that's just a little bit healthier than where Cam [Newton] was with his arm and being a little bit more consistent as a passer. I could see Bill Belichick having an affinity and a lot of fun with a guy like Trey Lance.
"Trey is going to need some time. The only thing that would hold me back on that is I don't know if he's going to be ready to do that right away. You'd have to be patient with him. But when you talk to the folks at North Dakota State, this kid is incredibly intelligent, which we know the Patriots have always placed a premium on. He can direct fronts, he can do all the stuff at the line of scrimmage you need to do. He's a fantastic athlete and runner. He's got a power arm that fits in the weather in that division later in the year. He can play through that. Gosh, this guy has been up in the Dakotas, grew up in Minnesota, so the weather thing would be -- he'd be very comfortable there. I just think all the character stuff I've gotten has been off the charts.
"All those things line up with what Belichick has traditionally wanted on the team, it's just I think we're all guessing a little bit on what direction he wants to take the offense."
With that being said, it's unclear if Lance would even be available at No. 15.
In terms of a comparison, Jeremiah sees a little bit of Steve McNair.
"Trey Lance, he reminds me of Steve McNair," he said. "I was around McNair late in his career with the Ravens and just the physicality that he plays with, the toughness -- he's got a little room to grow in terms of just pure accuracy."
The NFL Draft begins April 29.