How Patriots Could Learn from 49ers, Chiefs In Search For Impact Player

The New England Patriots should have a wish list of players they want to acquire this offseason to make up for their devoid in talent.

If only they could pluck a player from each of the Super Bowl teams this season to help put their rebuild on the fast track.

It's a fairytale concept that could never happen, but it's still a fruitful exercise to go through. So, if Elliot Wolf, who reportedly took over general manager duties for the Patriots, was looking over the loaded rosters of the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, what is one player from each team he would choose to steal and put on the Patriots?

For the purpose of this exercise, we'll leave quarterbacks off the table since obviously all 31 other teams in the NFL covet star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But there are still so many options for the Patriots even with Mahomes and Brock Purdy off the table.

49ers: Fred Warner, Linebacker
Warner would look great in a Patriots uniform and fans should salivate over Warner's capabilities.

Since the 49ers selected Warner in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, all he has done is compile six straight seasons of at least 118 tackles. Aside from being a tackling machine, the 27-year-old is one of the top coverage linebackers in the NFL, evidenced by the four interceptions he recorded this season.

Throughout New England's dynastic run stretching two decades, the Patriots always had game-changing linebackers in the middle of their defense. Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Willie McGinest, among others, spearheaded that positional group in the early 2000s when the Patriots won three Super Bowls in four years. And when the Patriots won three more Super Bowl titles a decade later, it was Dont'a Hightower, Rob Ninkovich and Jamie Collins playing vital roles in New England's defense.

The Patriots' current linebackers just don't match up to the ones that came before them. Ja'Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai are quality players but they aren't difference-makers like Warner.

It has to pain the Patriots that they could have selected Warner in 2018, but instead, they took Duke Dawson 14 picks before the 49ers star. Dawson turned into a complete bust and never appeared in a game with New England.

Player(s) that fits mold of Warner
Free agency presents interesting options for the Patriots to obtain a high-level linebacker, but they will have to be willing to shell out the money for one. Patrick Queen of the Baltimore Ravens or Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Devin White both are free agents this offseason and New England landing one of them would give them a foundational linebacker to build around.

Queen and White can both play sideline-to-sideline and both have multiple seasons of over 100 tackles. The fact they are both in their mid-20s is another plus to pursuing them in free agency, but their age also means they won't come cheap. But Queen and White are both valuable assets who would be worth a big contract.

Chiefs: Travis Kelce, Tight end
Kelce isn't at the height of his powers anymore, but a reliable and dynamic pass-catching tight end can completely transform an offense. Just look at how the Patriots' offense performed with Rob Gronkowski.

Kelce came up just 16 yards shy of his eighth straight 1,000-yard receiving season in 2023, but his production was comparable to what Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki did combine this season. Kelce registered 93 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns, while Henry and Gesicki came together for 71 receptions, 663 yards and eight touchdowns.

Getting a tight end that is a matchup nightmare has worked wonders in the past, but the Patriots haven't been able to get their hands on one since Gronkowski departed. The Patriots have trotted out Ryan Izzo, Jonnu Smith, Henry and Gesicki -- Henry is the only one close to making a key impact -- while also getting nothing out of failed draft picks Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene.

Player that fits the mold of Kelce
The Patriots could dip back into the draft and try to get that monumental tight end who could uplift a downtrodden offense.

New England won't take a tight end with the No. 3 overall pick, but if the Patriots decide to trade back into the lower teens, they could select Georgia product Brock Bowers.

Bowers was all the rage in college football during the 2022 season as he led the Bulldogs to a national title, but he lost some momentum after missing some time due to injury this past season.

But the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder would immediately become the Patriots' best skill player. He tallied 175 receptions for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding five scores on the ground during his three seasons with Georgia.

Centering the offense around an impact tight end like Bowers for years to come just might be what the Patriots need to get their attack humming again.