Colin Cowherd doesn’t love New England as a landing spot for Tua Tagovailoa, but “The Herd” host is starting to wonder whether the Patriots are preparing a push for the Alabama product.
Cowherd played a little game of connect the dots Friday on FOX Sports 1. The Patriots, whose future at quarterback is uncertain, reportedly will use a “premium” pick on a quarterback next week. New England only has one pick in the first two rounds — No. 23 overall — so it would need to make a big move in order to land one of this year’s top signal-caller prospects.
But as Cowherd explained, there’s a clear path for a move of this magnitude. New England’s arsenal of total draft picks is fairly stocked, and Bill Belichick and Co. are in great standing with the Detroit Lions, who reportedly are open for business at No. 3. So while Cowherd believes New England is looking even further ahead to fill its franchise quarterback void, he’s starting to speculate if the Patriots view the opportunity to land Tagovailoa as too good to pass up.
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“First of all, Jarrett Stidham is not the future,” Cowherd said. “For anybody saying Jarrett Stidham is the future, uh, he’s not the future. Let’s get that off the table. Now, I do believe they want to get Trevor Lawrence next year or Justin Fields, but they may see Tua as I see Tua. I see Tua as a left-handed Drew Brees. Some injury concerns early in his career. Drew Brees, first year, some injury concerns. Tua, college, injury concerns. Too good to pass up, all-time accuracy. Too good to pass up. Didn’t have to wait, unlike Joe Burrow, for him to be a senior to be any good.”
"The Patriots may see Tua as I see him, a left handed Drew Brees…Too good to pass up. All-time accuracy & didn't have to wait, unlike Joe Burrow, for him to be a senior to be any good." — @ColinCowherd
Is New England preparing a move to land Tua? pic.twitter.com/tWUYBoL1eA
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 17, 2020
Furthermore, Belichick has a well-documented friendship with Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban. So if any NFL head coach is privy to the true nature of Tagovailoa’s health situation, it’s probably Belichick.
New England historically has been more inclined to trade down rather than trade up in the draft. That said, the Belichick-led Patriots already are embarking on new territory without Tom Brady. So who knows, maybe the franchise’s draft philosophy will, in turn, be tweaked.
