Don’t wait on Brady’s heir
Important to draft QB this year
INDIANAPOLIS — Wanted: Tom Brady’s successor.
That’s arguably the most significant mission for the Patriots in the not-so-distant future. The challenging part, however, is twofold.
They seemed to pick the right guy once in Jimmy Garoppolo. Now they have to go back into the draft and hit a home run again.
Batting .500 isn’t an option when you’re talking about the most important position on the field. They need to get it right one more time.
Then, there’s the timing issue to consider. Is it absolutely necessary to land Brady’s heir in this year’s draft? Or can the Patriots afford to wait until next year?
Considering some of the other more pressing needs, waiting might not be out of the realm if you’re Bill Belichick and you’re trying to win another Super Bowl during the remaining window you and Tom Brady have left.
As the Patriots gather to evaluate talent at the NFL scouting combine this week, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know the team needs help on defense in multiple spots, whether it’s linebacker, on the edge with a pass rusher, or at cornerback presuming the loss of Malcolm Butler.
The Patriots might need to fill some other holes, perhaps at left tackle depending on the status of free agent-to-be Nate Solder, or at running back with Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead headed to free agency.
Then there’s Rob Gronkowski. He’s not a free agent, but the All-Pro tight end is contemplating retirement and perhaps a new career in the WWE, assuming all his cryptic tweets are to be believed.
Obviously, there’s free agency and trade routes to help with these issues. But the draft is a major avenue to help reload, restock and fortify for the present and future. The Pats have six picks (including four in the first three rounds) in the April 26-28 draft.
There’s no question they could ease some of those chief areas of concern for next season by dipping into the draft pool. But there are also so many reasons why the Pats should draft a quarterback this year.
For starters, it’s considered a deep class. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. last week estimated teams could land a good quarterback prospect as late as the fourth round.
He tagged Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta, Washington State’s Luke Falk, Western Kentucky’s Mike White and Marshall’s Chase Litton as potential mid-round options.
NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock agreed. On Monday, he said he thought as many as five quarterbacks could go in the first round, and another five by the fourth.
“In a typical draft, only 11-12 quarterbacks get drafted overall,” Mayock said. “So I think there’s a little bit better quality at the top end through three or four rounds than we’re used to seeing in the quarterback draft.”
Moreover, if the Patriots intend to groom Brady’s successor through the draft, you want the kid to have as many years learning under the GOAT as possible. Watching Brady for nearly four years helped Garoppolo develop, a point he conceded after signing a five-year, $137 million deal in San Francisco recently.
“He helped me with things on the field, off the field. Anything I had a question about,” Garoppolo told ESPN of Brady. “There were two years where it was just me and him in the meeting room together. It was how to go about your business, how to be a professional quarterback. There’s little things people don’t even realize, just how you carry yourself. I think he does that better than anybody. So all those things put together. The guy’s got five rings for a reason.”
You want the next quarterback to enjoy the same benefit, for as long as possible. So this seems like the year to pounce. If the right guy is available, especially if Belichick and Josh McDaniels think he’s the home run, the Pats shouldn’t wait. They should snag him now and develop him. It’s that important.