Post-NFL draft hypotheticals are fun to consider. But Peter King is having none of this Baker Mayfield-to-the-New England Patriots chatter.
Mayfield’s agent, Jack Mills, floated a juicy tidbit two days after the 2018 NFL Draft — that if the Cleveland Browns hadn’t selected his client No. 1 overall, the Patriots were considering trading up to the New York Giants’ No. 2 spot and drafting Mayfield as their quarterback of the future.
Mayfield reportedly met with New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels a week before the draft, so was this a real possibility? Not according to King, who shut down that notion Monday in his column for The MMQB.
First, here’s what King believes the Patriots would have had to give up to acquire the No. 2 pick from the Giants: Their two first-round picks (Nos. 23 and 31) and two second-round picks (Nos. 43 and 63) plus their 2019 first-round pick.
He also noted Giants general manager Dave Gettleman never has traded a first-round pick in five previous drafts and would have been crazy to start now.
“Would it have made any sense for the Giants to get a slew of picks but not the player of their draft dreams, (running back) Saquon Barkley?” King wrote.
“And would it have made sense for the Patriots, with needs at so many positions and an MVP quarterback apparently intending to play multiple seasons, to go without a pick after Mayfield until day three, and then to likely go without a pick next year in the top 50? Seems totally nonsensical.”
King’s logic checks out. Not only was Barkley a great pick for New York, but the Patriots also would have been silly to give up the farm for a QB forced to ride the bench until the ageless Tom Brady decides to walk away.
Of course, this all ended up being a moot point when the Browns nabbed Mayfield. But even if he fell to No. 2, the Oklahoma product coming to New England would have been quite the long shot indeed.
