Etling heir to TB’s throne?
7th-rounder gets his shot
FOXBORO — The Patriots finally drafted a quarterback. Is seventh-rounder Danny Etling, a player who was benched at Purdue before transferring to LSU, the man who should now be considered the heir to Tom Brady?
Technically, the answer is yes. He could very well be the man who succeeds the GOAT.
It’s just hard to be convinced he’s the one given how the chips fell.
The way the draft played out for the Patriots, finding Brady’s successor didn’t seem like a priority for Bill Belichick.
This was a draft supposedly heavy with quarterback talent. The Patriots certainly did their homework studying all of the studs from top to bottom. They had their chances to take many of the notables, be it Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph, Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta, Western Kentucky’s Mike White or Washington State’s Luke Falk.
They passed on all of them. Instead, they chose Etling with the first pick in the seventh round.
Brady was a sixth-round pick (199 overall). Maybe Etling, at 219, turns out to be a stud after being developed by Josh McDaniels, and watching Brady for a few years. As it is, Etling has been working with Brady’s throwing coaches Tom House and Adam Dedeaux in California. That has to be a plus on the kid’s side. Or not.
“We knew we were going to add a quarterback to our team at some point,” Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said following the draft. “It was relevant to what other options we had, relevant to other positions ... there was no template, well we’re going to take one here, we’re going to take one there. You just evaluate the player, and look, we think Danny has some decent traits and some decent qualities to work with. We’ll put him in our program and see how he does.”
In other words, maybe that heir is still out there. The Patriots were once again mad traders yesterday. They made seven trades during the draft as a whole, four yesterday. When that last deal was done, they were left with a dozen picks in next year’s draft. So it’s still possible they’ll draft a quarterback next year. And yet, next year’s draft is not expected to be as bountiful with talent at the top position.
So for now, all eyes are on Etling and his development going forward, while Brady continues to defy his age, perform like an MVP, and hopefully continue to have the conviction to do all the things necessary to play into his mid-40s.
Because he is the man for the Patriots this season, next season, and more seasons beyond. Etling? He’s the heir for now. He’s the man who replaces Jimmy Garoppolo. Etling began his career at Purdue (2013-14), but lost his starting job during his sophomore season after going 2-3. In wake of that, he decided to transfer to LSU.
“I just felt there was a different opportunity out there for me. Something that could hopefully lead to something bigger and something more,” Etling said via conference call. “I went down to LSU, I saw some great talent there, I saw a great opportunity to go and compete.”
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback, who is from Terre Haute, Ind., eventually got the starting job playing in Cam Cameron’s offense.
During the 2017 season, he started all 13 games, completing 60 percent of his throws (165-of-275) for 2,463 yards and 16 touchdowns. Etling threw just two interceptions all season.
He says he’s eager to learn and develop in the Patriots system. He wants to learn from the best. He’s pumped at the thought of being in the same quarterback room with Brady.
“It’s an opportunity to work with the greatest quarterback. You don’t expect anything. You have no expectations going in. You’re just going in to learn,” said Etling. “You sit there, take in as much you can, go over as much information as you can and just continue to keep improving, continue to prepare for your opportunity when it comes.
“You want to watch a guy who’s so great, and been so great. You want to know how he does it.”
Caserio said the Patriots have had their eye on Etling for quite some time. They’ve been impressed with him at LSU, how he’s fared in Cameron’s pro-style offense, and how he’s quickly adapted in the different offenses he’d played in.
They’ve also noticed the improvement in his mechanics.
“You notice from his play at LSU during the season, and through the spring, even at his pro day, you saw some subtle adjustments and subtle things that he did to help improve his mechanics through whatever coaches he was working with,” said Caserio.
They like that he’s smart, pretty accurate, and takes care of the ball.
Said Caserio: “There’s some good qualities and traits we think we can work with and develop.”
He wasn’t a second-round pick like Garoppolo. But for now, he stands as the successor to Brady.