Why Rob Ninkovich Expects Patriots To Trade Up For QB In Draft

It’s been a highly uncharacteristic offseason for the New England Patriots thus far.

Rob Ninkovich believes this trend will carry into the upcoming draft.

The Patriots, unlike any other year in the Bill Belichick era, were far and away the most active team in free agency, shelling out quite a bit of cash as they addressed multiple roster needs. But arguably their most pressing need remains as we inch closer to the 2021 draft.

New England is unlikely to find its quarterback of the future at 15th overall. That’s why Ninkovich, who played eight seasons in Foxboro, expects Belichick and Co. to make a jump up the board.

“They need to get a quarterback,” Ninkovich added Wednesday on ESPN’s “Get Up,” as transcribed by ESPN. “If they do not address the quarterback issue, they’re going to have another tough year. They’re going to be average if they go with Cam Newton.

“I expect them to move up. It’s been an unprecedented, weird offseason for (Belichick) anyway. We’ve never seen the Patriots go out and spend the money that they have in free agency. And if they don’t get a quarterback, they’re not answering any of the questions of their future at that position.”

Even with a trade-up, the Patriots at best would have two of the top five QB prospects to choose from, as the first three picks on April 29 all are in line to be for signal-callers. And if New England isn’t absolutely enthralled with whichever QBs make it out of the top three, it might be worth staying put and filling a different void at No. 15.