Many believe a reunion between Jimmy Garoppolo and the Patriots is inevitable.
Nick Wright is among those who believe New England should go in a different direction.
By now, you probably have seen many of the conflicting reports. Some insiders report the Patriots are focused on trading for Garoppolo, while others believe Bill Belichick wants to move up in the draft to select Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.
During Wednesday’s “First Things First” episode, Wright explained why, according to him, the Patriots should prioritize Fields over Garoppolo.
“If you can trade up and not have to trade into the top five and get Justin Fields, then that’s something you’ve got to do,” Wright said. “The question Patriots fans should ask themselves is this: Would you rather have player “X” at 15 … plus Jimmy Garoppolo, or Justin Fields? … Would you rather get a blue-chip rookie plus Garoppolo, and have that be your plan moving forward, or use that same capital on going out and getting Justin Fields? And I would prefer the Justin Fields option.
” … I think (Fields) is going to be a very successful NFL quarterback. And the other (reason) is, even if you think higher of Garoppolo’s ability than I happen to, nobody denies his availability has been a huge issue for him dating back to New England.”
Of course, this all operates on the assumption that Belichick won’t pull a Belichick and trade down from No. 15 to amass more mid- and late-round picks. Some believe that is what Patriots should expect to happen Thursday night.
Thankfully, this speculation soon might end. The 49ers reportedly are motivated to move Garoppolo before the end of the draft.
As for Fields, varying mock drafts have the talented signal-caller going anywhere from the Atlanta Falcons at No. 4 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 32.
