The San Francisco 49ers made a move to climb up the 2021 NFL Draft board as they acquired the No. 3 overall pick from the Miami Dolphins. Should the New England Patriots make a similar deal?
It's no secret the Patriots need to address the quarterback position before the 2021 season. They re-signed Cam Newton earlier in March, but it'd be a head-scratcher if Bill Belichick and Co. ran it back after a 7-9 campaign with no new QBs on the depth chart.
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If the Patriots do trade up, Ohio State's Justin Fields could be on their radar. The 6-foot-3, 228-pound QB is projected to be picked near the top of the first round and recently made headlines for a sensational Pro Day performance.
Then there's old friend Jimmy Garoppolo. With the Niners clearly targeting a QB at the top of the draft, perhaps New England could attempt to bring Tom Brady's former backup back into the fold.
So which QB would be the better option? Albert Breer of The MMQB shared his thoughts Tuesday on Early Edition.
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"I would rather have Justin Fields than Jimmy Garoppolo," Breer said. "That's nothing against Jimmy Garoppolo, but Jimmy Garoppolo's had trouble staying healthy. He's going to be 30 years old later this year. I think he's probably more of a 'for now' solution where you might be happy with him right away, but two or three years from now you're looking for the next one.
"When I look at Justin Fields, you bring him in and I think you've got great coaching here between Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels. They know how to develop a young quarterback. They've taken guys who had issues with a lack of playing experience in college -- Matt Cassel being a good example of it -- and developed them. I just think all the way around it would be a really, really good fit. And you have to think too that the Patriots, with all their connections at Ohio State, probably have really good intelligence on the kind of kid Justin Fields is."
Even if Fields is the Patriots' first choice, acquiring him is easier said than done. The 22-year-old is likely to be one of the first three QBs off the board along with Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and BYU's Zach Wilson.
We'll almost certainly see more dominoes fall leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, which is set to begin April 29.