The New England Patriots are covering all their bases at quarterback ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft.
On the latest episode of his "Move the Sticks" podcast with Bucky Brooks, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah noted there's "a little buzz in league circles that the Patriots are doing a lot of homework on (Florida quarterback) Kyle Trask."
Trask finished fourth in last year's Heisman Trophy voting after a strong season for the Gators, completing 68.9 percent of his passes for 4,283 yards with 43 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He's also one of the bigger QBs in the draft at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds and checks many of New England's boxes at the position.
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But the 23-year-old still isn't as accurate as some of the other passers in the 2021 class and lacks elite footwork and mobility. Most experts project Trask as a second- or third-round pick as the seventh quarterback off the board behind Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, Mac Jones and Kellen Mond.
There's been chatter about the Patriots moving up from No. 15 overall to draft a top-tier QB like Fields, Lance or Jones. But it makes sense that they'd do their diligence on Trask, and if they like what they see, they could target the Florida QB at No. 46 or No. 96 overall while using the 15th pick to take the best non-QB available.
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While this route may not excite Patriots fans as much as the team drafting a QB in the first round, it's at least worth considering as a way for New England to maximize its draft capital next weekend.