The New England Patriots are going to a very interesting team to keep an eye on in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. Bill Belichick has a lot of work to do if he wants to remain a serious contender this season.
After losing Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a new era of football is about to begin. Currently, the Patriots are projected to start second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham. However, they also went out and signed veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer.
Despite having those two guys on the roster already, Belichick should be looking at quarterbacks in the NFL Draft. One intriguing name to keep an eye on is Utah State quarterback Jordan Love.
CBS Sports has projected that Love will end up falling to the Patriots at No. 23 overall. If that happens, Belichick will be a lucky and happy man. Or, at least, as happy as Belichick can possibly get.
How fortunate are the Patriots to have Love still on the board at No. 23? They get a year to develop him in the offense while finding out if Jarrett Stidham is the truth.
Love has been mocked as high as No. 5 overall to the Miami Dolphins. While some have projected him that high, there is a decent chance he could slide. Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa are both better quarterbacks and should be drafted higher.
New England would have a potential franchise quarterback if they can snag Love. He didn’t have a great 2019 season at Utah State, completing 61.9 percent of his pass attempts for 3,402 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. Love did produce much bigger numbers in 2019 with 3,567 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just six interceptions.
Belichick and Josh McDaniels would be able to develop Love nicely. If they could have a year of him sitting behind Stidham, or even half a year, they could get the young quarterback ready to play.
Expect to see the Patriots take a long look at quarterbacks in this draft class. If they don’t have a chance at Love, it would not be shocking to see them consider taking Oklahoma standout Jalen Hurts in the second or third round.
