The New England Patriots are picking at No. 15 in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. It's their highest Round 1 selection since 2008, but is it high enough to get one of the top five quarterbacks in this year's class?
There are five quarterbacks expected to be selected in the first round -- Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, BYU's Zach Wilson, Ohio State's Justin Fields, North Dakota State's Trey Lance and Alabama's Mac Jones.
In his latest 2021 NFL mock draft published Thursday, ESPN expert Todd McShay projects the Patriots trading with the New York Giants to move up four spots to No. 11 and take Fields.
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Revisiting every Patriots QB drafted by Bill Belichick over last 20 years
Here is McShay's explanation of the mock trade:
"I'm not sure the Patriots would jump into the top 10 for a QB, but hopping four spots for one is very much a possibility. The Giants could certainly stay put and draft Penei Sewell, but they could also be looking at defense -- which means a slide back makes some sense. And for their troubles, the Patriots would likely send them something in the ballpark of a third-rounder this year (No. 96) and either a second- or third-rounder in 2022."
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Fields had an excellent season at Ohio State and led the Buckeyes to a win over Lawrence's Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal before losing to Jones' Alabama squad in the national title game.
He completed 70.2 percent of his passes for 2,100 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions in eight games. Fields also ran 81 times for 383 yards with five rushing touchdowns.
Opinions on Fields vary quite a bit. Some experts see him as a top three quarterback in this class, while others view the Buckeyes star as the fifth-best player at his position. The Patriots attended Fields' Pro Day earlier this week, giving the team an up-close look at his talents.
One of the best-case scenarios for the Patriots is one of these five quarterbacks falling to at least the No. 10 pick and then trading up for that player. It's a lot easier to trade up three or four spots than going up to No. 4 or even No. 7.