Could the New England Patriots take one of the best available quarterbacks on Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft?
The Patriots opted to trade out of the first round Thursday night by swinging a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers to acquire picks No. 37 (second round) and No. 71 (third round) in exchange for the 23rd overall selection. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick now has five picks Friday night, including four in the third round.
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Quarterback is one position the Patriots would be wise to bolster in this draft. In fact, New England has drafted a quarterback in four of the past six years. The top-rated quarterback on the board entering Round 2 is Oklahoma star Jalen Hurts, who also had a great career at Alabama before transferring to the Sooners for his senior campaign.
The Patriots are actually among the betting favorites to land Hurts. Here are the latest odds on which team will draft the Oklahoma QB, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Indianapolis Colts: +300
New England Patriots: +500
Pittsburgh Steelers: +500
Jacksonville Jaguars: +700
Carolina Panthers: +1100
All other teams are +1400 or worse
The Colts signed veteran QB Philip Rivers in free agency, but they don't have a young quarterback to build around long-term. Hurts would be a good fit with the Colts, who own the second overall pick in Round 2. However, reports Friday evening indicate that Indianapolis is looking to trade down from that spot.
New England Patriots
The Patriots drafted Jarrett Stidham out of Auburn in the fourth round last year. He showed signs of his impressive talent and potential throughout training camp, the preseason and the regular season, but he's still very much an unknown at this stage.
Adding a third quarterback to compete for the starting job with Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer isn't a bad plan for the Patriots, and Hurts is among the best options entering Friday's second and third rounds.
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