Patriots Mock Draft: When Will New England Take Quarterback Of The Future?

How the New England Patriots handle the 2018 NFL Draft depends largely on when they decide to draft Tom Brady’s successor at quarterback.

The Patriots essentially have three choices: They can wait to take a quarterback on the second or third day of the draft, grab a QB in the first round or trade up to select their ideal signal-caller even higher.

In our final Patriots mock draft before the event actually goes down Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we’ll run through what the Patriots could come up with in all three scenarios. We’ll put the most work into the situation it seems Patriots fans would prefer, which is to wait until the second day of the draft to take a QB.

Here’s Scenario A:

Round 1, 23rd Overall Pick: OT Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame
McGlinchey is regarded as the best offensive tackle in a weak class. He has ideal size for the position, and the Patriots immediately would be in better shape at the position by taking McGlinchey and hoping he can start from Day 1 over guys like LaAdrian Waddle, Antonio Garcia and Cole Croston.

Round 1, 31st Overall Pick: EDGE Lorenzo Carter, Georgia
Is Carter a defensive end? Is he a linebacker? Is he both? Let’s just call him an edge defender. Carter could align standing up on the edge of the Patriots’ defense and rush the passer or drop back into coverage using his 4.46-second 40-yard dash speed at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds.

Round 2, 43rd Overall Pick: QB Kyle Lauletta, Richmond
He’s the best player in the second wave of quarterbacks, and there are many reasons to believe he’s a great fit for the Patriots.

Round 2, 63rd Overall Pick: TE Ian Thomas, Indiana
Thomas is big enough to get in the way of defenders as a blocker at 6-foot-4, 259 pounds, and he’s definitely a good enough athlete to make an impact as a receiver. The Patriots should look to take a tight end early given Rob Gronkowski’s offseason waffling.

Round 3, 95th Overall Pick: LB Jerome Baker, Ohio State
Baker kind of looks like a skill-position player at 6-foot-1, 229 pounds, but he’s one of the most athletic linebackers in the draft, and he’s just what the doctor ordered if New England wants to improve its pass coverage.

Round 6, 198th Overall Pick: CB Grant Haley, Penn State
Haley’s a solid slot option as an uber-athletic undersized corner.

Round 6, 210th Overall Pick: WR Braxton Berrios, Miami
Ditto, but he’s a slot receiver.

Round 7, 219th Overall Pick: RB Chris Warren, Texas
Warren is a massive back at 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, and he still fits the Patriots’ pre-draft testing standards with a sub-7-second 3-cone.

Here’s Scenario B:

Round 1, 23rd Overall Pick: QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Round 1, 31st Overall Pick: TE Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State
Round 2, 43rd Overall Pick: DE Rasheem Green, USC
Round 2, 63rd Overall Pick: OT Brian O’Neill, Pitt
Round 3, 95th Overall Pick: LB Jerome Baker, Ohio State
Round 6, 198th Overall Pick: CB Grant Haley, Penn State
Round 6, 210th Overall Pick: WR Braxton Berrios, Miami
Round 7, 219th Overall Pick: RB Chris Warren, Texas

The Patriots get a better tight end in this situation, but they wait longer to add offensive tackle competition.

Here’s Scenario C:

Round 1, 9th Overall Pick: QB Josh Rosen, UCLA
Round 2, 43rd Overall Pick: OT Tyrell Crosby, Oregon
Round 2, 63rd Overall Pick: LB Fred Warner, BYU
Round 3, 95th Overall Pick: DE Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State
Round 6, 198th Overall Pick: S Godwin Igwebuike, Northwestern
Round 6, 210th Overall Pick: WR Braxton Berrios, Penn State
Round 7, 219th Overall Pick: TE Will Dissly, Washington

The Patriots trade both first-round picks to move into the top 10. They still wind up with one of the better offensive tackles while taking more of a pure defensive end.

Now, which one do you like best? We think the Patriots will wind up taking a quarterback in the first round, but if they can get Lauletta 43rd overall and make major improvements to the rest of their roster in the first two rounds, then there’s a lot to like about that scenario.