Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

With flexibility to trade up, lots of options for Patriots at QB

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- What might the New England Patriots be looking for at the quarterback position in the 2018 NFL draft?

Need rating: Third

Current personnel: Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer

What's missing? The heir apparent to Brady, who turns 41 on Aug. 3 and is under contract through 2019. If the Patriots could duplicate what they did in the 2014 draft, when they selected Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round (No. 62 overall), it would be ideal. But is there another Garoppolo type in this year's draft?

2018 draft class primer: Media analysts have noted that the quarterback class is maybe a bit deeper than the norm. In a reflection of this, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said leading into the combine that about 11 quarterbacks, on average, are drafted each year and he envisions the possibility that 10 could go by the middle of the draft.

Six who fit for the Patriots: Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), Josh Rosen (UCLA), Kyle Lauletta (Richmond), Luke Falk (Washington State), Bryan Schor (James Madison), Alex McGough (Florida International).

Key stat: With Brady (40) and Hoyer (32), the Patriots have the oldest 1-2 combination at quarterback in the NFL.

My take: When it comes to positional value, quarterback is No. 1 on every team's board. So what makes this year intriguing for the Patriots is that they have the draft capital -- without mortgaging their future -- to move into the back half of the top 10 if one of the top quarterbacks slides. In the end, the biggest question to me is whether the club views any of the "second wave" of quarterbacks (such as Lauletta, Falk, Mike White, Logan Woodside, etc.) as potential starters down the road. If the Patriots don't, it would set the stage for them to be more aggressive in a move up if the quarterback they like slides a bit. Another intriguing question is how the Patriots would view Louisville's Lamar Jackson, who is one of the most exciting players in the draft. If he slides into the teens, would the Patriots make a move, or would they pick him if he made it to No. 23? My hunch is no (based on some inaccuracy in college), but if history has taught us anything with Bill Belichick, it's that anything is possible. In the end, a double dip at the position could make some sense, taking a quarterback early and then late (or after the draft). But the right quarterback would have to be there, as forcing for need never seems to work out well. As a fallback, there's always the possibility of Johnny Manziel in a low-risk on-field scenario. So there's a lot to digest at quarterback, and that's part of what makes the 2018 draft fascinating from a Patriots perspective.

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