Patriots 2021 Offseason Thread

Willing to play ball? Lots of teams will play ball if you offer three firsts and a third round pick to move up 9 spots.

No one has graded Mac Jones as an elite QB prospect. This isn't trading up to get an elite guy. For me taking Mac Jones at #3 would be crazy, trading up given what that cost, is like taking Kyle Trask at 15. I love Kyle Trask, I think he's a perfect fit for our offense. I think he has a bunch of upside left and is just getting started. I've debated if because he's a QB, is it worth it getting pick 30-32 to lock in that extra year. 

I can't do it, the whole way I look at the draft is based on value. I have Mac Jones closer to Trask than top 3 pick. Heck your first Mock you had us trading down to get Mac Jones, so you certainly don't see a top five talent that we'd be lucky to get at 15. I'm willing to overdraft a QB, yet not to that level.

Taking Mac Jones at three with crazy high upside guys available, kinda feels like taking Trubisky over Mahomes and Watson in the 2017 Draft. The Bears got their guy, I actually don't think he's a horrible player. I think he could do well in a system like ours, kinda pissed we didn't go after him as a backup QB. Yet you passed on two guys with just more talent. I'm sure you can find some examples where that worked out. I have worries about Fields and Lance, yet both easily have top five QB upside. I don't have insider information to truly nail down these picks, I can't get inside these guys heads. So picks like Rosen, the Red Flags were there, then picks like Dwayne Haskins you didn't hear about it, yet you clearly see why he dropped. Fields and Lance have all the talent in the world, they can both do things Jones can't dream of doing. If I'm making a trade like the 49ers just made I need to be getting a guy like that. You feel strongly that Mac Jones is better today and more importantly 5-10 years from now than Fields and Lance?

If it's Mac Jones, this is either going to look brilliant or be one of the bigger draft blunders in recent memory.

To make matters worse for me, they have Jimmy Garoppolo who's 24-8 in his career. Sure health is an issue, yet you aren't the bears who don't have anyone. I'd go get Tom Brady's trainer and get him on that workout plan. 

All teams have different grades, it's a question of who's right when they differ greatly. If you go against the norm in a big way, you open yourself up to major criticism if you're wrong and major praise if you're right.

Bills last draft, he did that twice in taking Keene and the kicker who doesn't deserve to be named. Right now you'd give both picks an F. Some of Bills worst picks are him doing that crap, with most of his best picks being value picks.

Draft magazines are perfect because they are set in stone, no adjusting because of what they hear teams might do. Just the players rankings based off what they did in College. They all kinda agree mid level starter upside, compared to Goff and Andy Dalton, grades of 1st-2nd round, 2nd round and third round.

We should do a poll on how many people think Mac Jones is a top three talent in this class and worth what they traded. Just to get it on record. I'll have no problem admitting if I'm wrong. We're just talking about a guy going top three that I had doubts if he was worth the 15 pick.

And to be clear, I'm not suggesting you're wrong for thinking Jones isn't worth the 3rd pick. I'm suggesting that your reasoning for the "rumor" being bogus is based on information that lacks the most important element. The rumors, while potentially being a smokescreen, at least suggest the possibility Shanahan is thinking this way and that is what matters.

That being said, I did come up with a stretch of an explanation for why a smokescreen might have value for SF. Maybe Shanahan knows/feels that BB is deciding between Mac Jones and a trade for Jimmy G. BB might be more willing to meet the Niners price if he thinks his other option isn't really an option.

Yes, it's a stretch.

Based on a piece with Chris Simms, BB has gone against his scouts on multiple occasions. Successfully with Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins. Unsuccessfully with N'Keal Harry.

A few things...

I’m not a scout - i did a mock draft weeks ago before Mac climbed up boards and I played the game on the site. That same site now has him ranked so sometimes you can get him at 15 and sometimes you can’t. I was saying I’d take Mac Jones at 15 when people were saying he was a second rounder. I like him more than most - i said Fields was going to be a bust months ago - but I’m not a scout so I wouldn’t put a lot stock in me.

Some rumors come from nowhere but Jones is now a consensus top half of the first round pick so it’s really not hard to see teams ranking him above Fields and Lance. I mean Lance is a division1 AA guy who’s barely played.

Not sure what a top 3 talent means. Also it’s irrelevant what we think. We are just acknowledging it’s entirely possible multiple teams value Jones as the 3rd best QB.

I thought I had read that Caserio had liked Harry. I could be mistaken tho


It does seem like he’s deferring more to the scouts this year so hopefully we have a great draft

This won’t happen - Collins could go 15 to the Patriots and it wouldn’t shock me, but he fell here so I traded back up for him.

I wanted to use this to make a point I’ve been thinking about. I feel like tackle is a pretty big need. Onwenu, played well there but he played amazing at guard. Having to move him off guard won’t be ideal. He could literally be one of the best guards in football next year.

So you're moving on from Wynn?

Brown is also a free agent and I’m not paying him a big contract over multi years. I’m considering moving on from Wynn if he can’t get thru a year healthy and gets paid huge dollars. But basically,

They’re totally taking Zaven Collins at 15


I wouldn’t despise it

Yea, I’m looking at CB and LB, definitely and if a top 3 receiver falls I’ll look at him too, but this is how this particular board fell. Darrisaw isn’t simply a right tackle - he’s a great tackle prospect at left tackle. The point was an exercise in discussing the tackle position in general. It’s a legit need, in my opinion, up there with corner and linebacker.

Wynn deserves nothing at this point. Of course he’s getting another year but I’m not waiting on him, plus we know they need at least one new starting tackle next year but it could be 2. Leaving yourself in a spot where you need to replace 2 tackles would be awful. I’m not saying you have to take one in the first. However, if the board falls a certain way, I won’t hate taking a top tackle.