Tom E. Curran

Curran: Why the Patriots need to kick tires on first-round QBs

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One of the worst things that could happen to Matt Groh next Thursday would be a prospect slipping to 14 and Groh not having the foggiest why heā€™s still there or how good he might be.

Which, no doubt, is a big reason why the team on Thursday hosted Kentucky quarterback Will Levis for a predraft visit.

Thereā€™s a slew of quarterback prospects in this draft. The Patriots better have intel on all of them because thereā€™s a decent chance at least one of the top five will be on the board when the Patriots are up. If Levis or Floridaā€™s Anthony Richardson are sitting there at 14 or Tennesseeā€™s Hendon Hooker hangs on the board too long, the Patriots need a plan.

Patriots Talk: Going deep on 2023 NFL Draft with former NFL executive Thomas Dimitroff | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

Do they pass? Do they deal down with a thirsty team behind them? Do they draft Prospect X and see what develops in a three-man death match between Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe and Prospect X? Do they draft Prospect X, deal Jones and let Zappe, Prospect X and Olā€™ Trace McSorley duke it out?

On one hand, itā€™s nice to have options. On the other, if Jones built on his 2021 the way he was expected to, the team wouldnā€™t be flying in first-round quarterbacks for a looksee ā€œjust in case.ā€ But he didnā€™t and ā€“ in a little over a year ā€“ the team will be facing a decision on Jonesā€™ fifth-year option and the prospect of starting over at quarterback in 2025.

So actually picking a Levis or a Richardson would obviously be a profound vote of ā€œno confidenceā€ in Jones. Two years after spending the 15thĀ overall pick on Jones, the team dips back in with the 14th pick? With needs at offensive tackle, corner, wide receiver and looming needs at tight end and edge?

Bill Belichick might as well rent a plane to drag a ā€œWE FLOCKED UP ON MACā€ banner over the stadium first thing Friday morning. And owner Robert Kraft would suggest the banner would be more accurate if it read ā€œWE FLOCKED MAC UP.ā€

So Iā€™d say itā€™s an extreme longshot the Patriots spend a first-rounder on quarterback. Next year? If Jones is merely OK in 2023 and in the final year of his rookie deal? Absolutely. But the kid needs an unimpeded season with no peripheral BS to show what he can truly do.

Is he a fiery leader with a super-computer brain and a feathery touch who can excel with capable coaching? Is he a whiny brat with decent reading comprehension whoā€™s been propped up by Alabama talent and Josh McDaniels and couldnā€™t break a pane of glass from 15 feet away? Is he a mix and a work in progress?

The Patriots need to answer that and truly give him the ā€œclean slateā€ offensive coordinator Bill Oā€™Brien promised on Tuesday, not pay lip service to the idea while waiting for a reason to mess with him.

Snatching a quarterback next week at some point, though? Count former NFL executive Thomas Dimitroff as one who subscribes to the belief teams should grab developmental quarterbacks often.

Perry's crowd-sourced 2023 mock draft: Patriots fans make their picks

ā€œI think itā€™s a very smart thing to do,ā€ said the former Patriots exec and Falcons GM on the Patriots Talk Podcast this week. ā€œI had the good fortune of taking a Boston College quarterback (Matt Ryan) who literally missed 1.5 games in 14 years. Our owner Arthur Blank used to knock on my door and say, ā€˜Youā€™re flirting with danger.ā€™

ā€œWe got caught up in a situation where we werenā€™t doing what we truly should have,ā€ he admitted. ā€œI raise my hand and say I should have done that differently and been working someone in the wings. I believe in the development side. I believe there are some really good quarterbacks out there you can develop. Look what San Francisco did (with seventh-rounder Brock Purdy).

ā€œYou obviously have to have a good coach out there whoā€™s gonna develop the heck out of him,ā€ added Dimitroff. ā€œAnd hereā€™s a sidebar: Iā€™m a big believer in this ā€¦Ā Ā our assistant coaches are so vitally important. You canā€™t overestimate the importance of them. Too often you get players in a spot where you need (players) to develop and if you have a has-been or also-ran at that position because heā€™s one of your buddies or heā€™s a loyalist itā€™s the worst thing for an organization.ā€

Dimitroff was not referring to the 2022 Patriots situation. He actually used Belichick and Sean Payton as examples of guys who did it the right way.

But he kind of nailed the ā€™22 Patriots' offensive situation to a T. Now, with a chance to develop under Oā€™Brien, Jones is going to be expected to make up for lost time.

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