Daniel Jeremiah believes the Patriots will land a quarterback Thursday, but not without a precursory move.
New England currently sits at 15th in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. But given the high demand for the top signal-caller prospects in this year's class, Bill Belichick and Co. probably will not be able to stand pat and wait for one of those QBs to fall into their lap.
In turn, Jeremiah in his final mock draft has New England trading for the New York Giants' 11th overall pick and using the selection on North Dakota State's Trey Lance.
"I think there's a very real possibility Lance will be the third or fourth overall pick," Jeremiah wrote for NFL. com. "If he somehow gets to this point in the draft, I think multiple teams will be competing to move up for him. The former NDSU QB has a lot of qualities the Patriots value."
Lance, as Jeremiah notes, might not make it out of the top five. The San Francisco 49ers, who undoubtedly will target a quarterback at No. 3, reportedly are torn between Lance and Mac Jones. And if the Niners roll with the Alabama product, perhaps the Atlanta Falcons at No. 4 will feel Lance's potential is too high to pass up.
The 2021 draft is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.
