The New England Patriots Organization has made it clear that they are looking to get much better this off-season. Patriots Director of Scouting, Eliot Wolf, spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine last week and talked about how they need to weaponize their offense. It is clear that they need to get more explosive and become more dynamic. New England has shown quite a bit of interest in LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels is an incredible prospect and will have an immediate impact on whatever team that drafts him. If New England can land the star quarterback at the third overall pick in April, Patriots fans will surely be incredibly excited. Although, Daniels won’t be able to succeed on his own, so New England may want to consider trading back up into the first round from where they sit at pick thirty four. Luckily for the Patriots, their second round pick is rather high, meaning they most likely won’t have to give up too much draft capital to move up.
This Draft class is a very talented one, especially at wide receiver, which is great news for the Patriots. A true difference maker at the wide receiver position has been a huge need for New England, and they will surely be able to walk away from this Draft with one. A player to keep an eye on is LSU wide receiver, Brian Thomas Jr. He absolutely shined at LSU this year with Jayden Daniels as his quarterback. He will be a first round pick but may end up falling into the back half of the first round because of how many star receivers there are this year. This could turn into a huge steal for the Patriots. If they decide to take Jayden Daniels at third overall, and then get aggressive and trade back up into the first round to pair Daniels and Thomas Jr., the Foxborough Faithful could see a much faster rebuild than they had originally planned on. Adding the dynamic athleticism and spectacular arm of Jayden Daniels as the signal caller, and having a true number one receiver who can make a huge play at any moment in Brian Thomas Jr., New England could see themselves back into competing late in the season and well into the playoffs.
Pairing Jayden Daniels and Brian Thomas Jr. wouldn’t be the first time the NFL has seen a dynamic duo from LSU reunited. The Cincinnati Bengals did exactly this when they paired former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Ja’Marr Chase. It was an immediate impact when Chase came to the Bengals and joined Burrow, and if New England can come somewhat close to the impact the Bengals have created, they will surely be a team to be feared. Building chemistry between quarterback and receiver is a difficult thing to do in the NFL. By taking Daniels and Thomas Jr., it will be a huge advantage because of the chemistry that has already been built in college. Thinking about this scenario should have the Foxborough Faithful very excited for the future of the organization.
How will New England protect their new franchise quarterback?
The Patriots obviously have more holes on their offense than just quarterback and wide receiver. A huge need is offensive tackle, and some people believe New England’s second round pick should be used on the tackle position. Although, there have been rumors that the Patriots are showing interest in free agent tackle Tyron Smith. Smith has been a great left tackle for the Dallas Cowboys, and if he comes to Foxborough, he would be an immediate upgrade at the position. He would solidify the left side of the line for the new rookie quarterback, and would allow New England to take a tackle later in the Draft as a more developmental player. This would then present the opportunity for New England to be even more aggressive in moving up to take Brian Thomas Jr., and getting back on track to winning.