Is Bill Belichick poised to make his biggest draft splash yet?
Belichick and the New England Patriots are well-stocked when it comes to draft picks and have some noticeable holes on their roster, leaving some to wonder whether they could trade up in the first round of next week’s NFL draft. If Colin Cowherd’s latest example of thinking out loud comes true, the Patriots might be moving way up.
Cowherd on Friday suggested the Patriots could move all the way up to the No. 8 pick in the first round by way of trade with the Detroit Lions. It didn’t sound like the FS1 host had concrete reporting to go off, but that didn’t stop him floating out the idea as something that could at least possibly happen.
It certainly makes some sense, right? As Cowherd notes, Belichick and Lions head coach Matt Patricia are close given Patricia’s years on the Patriots’ coaching staff. Not only that, Lions general manager Bob Quinn spent a decade and a half in New England before leaving Foxboro for the Motor City. The two sides even came close to connecting on a blockbuster trade a year ago when they reportedly were working on a deal centering on since-retired Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Speaking of Gronkowski, moving up certainly would help the Patriots replace the gaping hole left by the former All-Pro. University of Iowa tight ends Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson both are projected first-round picks who likely will be gone when the Patriots draft at No. 32. Of course, the real intriguing possibility would be if the Patriots are trying to move up and take a quarterback as the eventual successor for Tom Brady, who will be 42 when the season begins.
