The Patriots have been stockpiling draft picks throughout the Bill Belichick era, creating questions about when he intends to use them all.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter says that the Patriots may have positioned themselves to make a run at Stanford’s Andrew Luck, who is expected to go first overall next season.
Schefter says the Patriots could offer two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a first-round pick the following season to the team with the first overall selection — if the drafting team is set at the quarterback position.
He doesn't think that Belichick has been thinking like that, but Luck could set the Patriots up for the next dozen years after Brady retires.
Schefter says that the team that holds the No. 1 overall pick likely wouldn't trade an opportunity to draft Luck for five premier picks, but that it could be a very interesting storyline for next year’s draft.
Tom Brady signed a contract extension in September that runs through 2014. But with Brady turning 34 this year, there is reason to believe the Patriots could soon start to look for a quarterback to learn under the three-time Super Bowl champion before eventually taking over the job upon his departure.
The Patriots selected Ryan Mallett in the third round of this year’s NFL draft, which raised a few eyebrows, but Luck is considered by many to be the best quarterback prospect of the past 10 years.
