1. The discussion surrounding the Patriots when it comes to potentially adding a quarterback high in the draft has shifted in the last few weeks. It now feels like they won’t as the top QBs will be gone by the time No. 15 comes and the cost to trade up will just be too much. Because of this, some have now speculated it could mean Bill Belichick actually trades back at No. 15. But, of all years to do it, this doesn’t feel like it at all. First off, picking No. 15 overall is the highest the team has selected since drafting Jerod Mayo No. 10 overall in 2008. The hope is the team won’t be picking this high again for the years to come, so why not take full advantage and get a very talented player? It’s not like it’s a bad year for talent -- good players at a number of positions will be available. And second, trading back would be to add picks. The Patriots are in a position that they ideally would trade picks away, not get more. As of now, the Patriots have 79 players on their active roster. The 10 picks alone would bring them to 89 and basically a full roster, but that doesn’t even account for the undrafted free agents the organization usually has a great deal of success with. And it’s unlikely the team is completely done adding via free agency. With the roster being so close to full, most of the draft picks will be facing uphill battles to make the team, so many will be just wasted picks. It actually makes more sense for the team to package some of its picks to move up in a few spots. While some may think Belichick will look to do what he does more often than not in Round 1 and move back, this doesn’t feel like the year to do it.
2. This week there’s been a lot of hype surrounding the quarterbacks not expected to go high in the first round — Kellen Mond, Davis Mills, Kyle Trask. Why is that? It feels almost like there’s been so much talk surrounding the top five quarterbacks in the draft, experts almost have nothing left to say on those players and have moved onto the next tier. If any of these players were really that impressive, wouldn’t that have been brought up before this week?
3. With that being said, this doesn’t mean the Patriots shouldn’t consider one in the middle rounds of the draft. With only Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham and Jake Dolegala on the roster at the position, another player is needed and why not take a shot on one of those players mentioned in Rounds 3 or 4? Who knows, maybe the player turns out to be a really good fit and at the very least a solid backup. The Patriots and Belichick have never shied away from selecting quarterbacks in the middle rounds.
4. The Patriots will have a few decisions to make in the coming weeks when it comes to picking up fifth-year options on Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel for 2022. Wynn would cost roughly $10.5 million, while Michel comes in at $4.5 million. It doesn’t seem to make much sense to do it with Michel because if the team wants to bring him back, it likely could with a cheaper deal next offseason. Teams won’t be knocking down the door to sign him, either. Wynn is more interesting and it really depends on how the team feels about him. If it likes him for the future, it would make sense. If it doesn’t, look to see a tackle selected relatively high in the draft this year and that could be a sign it won’t be picking up the option.
5. The news regarding Julian Edelman wasn’t all that surprising this week — just look at him the last few seasons, especially last year when he needed a knee procedure in October and didn’t return. The Patriots clearly were aware of what his future holds and that was likely a major reason why they were so aggressive when it came to adding pieces in the passing game this offseason. It still makes sense to hold on to him and get whatever they can because he doesn’t cost all that much, and although it won’t be 16 games and playing 80% of the snaps each week, he can still contribute something.
6. As for another wide receiver, N’Keal Harry, it would appear the Patriots would be willing to deal him around the draft if they can get anything in return. It seems to make sense for both sides and a fresh start for the first-round pick could be a good thing. New England seems likely to draft a receiver too, and if that does indeed happen, it even furthers the potential for Harry to be traded.
7. Looking ahead to this week, Belichick will hold his pre-draft press conference on Thursday and then the team announced he will be speaking following each day of the draft. In the past this has been Nick Caserio’s job, but Belichick will take control this year. This doesn’t mean Dave Ziegler won’t have a prominent role, it just means we’ll have to wait a bit for him to address the media for the first time.