If the Patriots are going to select a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft, Daniel Jeremiah believes they should wait until after the first round.
All signs point to New England taking a quarterback at some point over the three-day event next week. This would make quite a bit of sense, as it’s too early to tell what you have in Jarrett Stidham, while Brian Hoyer effectively puts a limit on the team’s 2020 aspirations.
But given where the Patriots currently are slotted in the first round — 23rd overall — Jeremiah believes it would be in the franchise’s best interest to wait until later in the draft to target a signal-caller.
“I want to see what I have with my quarterback here in Jarrett Stidham,” Jeremiah said Thursday on NFL Network. “You know what you have in Hoyer, but I want to give Stidham an opportunity here. They’re kind of in no man’s land in the draft. They’re gonna miss out on the first wave of quarterbacks. I think it would be a reach to take one there at 23. I’m not sure that Jordan Love is a great fit there. So, no. I don’t think they take a quarterback early. I think they give Jarrett Stidham an opportunity.”
Jeremiah isn’t the only football pundit who feels this way. Former Patriots center Damien Woody is having a tough time picturing his former team going after a QB in the first round in an attempt to replace Tom Brady. Others, however, expect New England to use a “premium pick” on a quarterback.
We’ll have our answer fairly soon, as the first round of the 2020 draft kicks off April 23.