Report: Patriots pile up draft stock in hopes of getting quarterback who can catch
(SP) – According to multiple sources inside the New England Patriots front office, the team is loading up on picks early in the 2018 NFL Draft in hopes of landing a quarterback with the basic athletic skills to catch a football while he jogged at a brisk pace.
« I think we all realized in the Super Bowl that we were limited in certain areas by what Tom Brady can and can’t do, » a team official said. “That game reinforced Nick Foles’ ability to catch against Tom Brady who couldn’t do it. We hope to find ourselves a Nick Foles 2.0. »
Brady has reportedly been working with his personal trainer on catching, but the Patriots don’t think they can ever trust him in that capacity.
« He’s a guy approaching 40, » a Patriots coach said. “You don’t learn to catch then. Grasping is a skill you acquire from, like, age 4 or 5. I’d trust your average toddler wide open in the flat with a pass in the air over Tom Brady. No offense to Tom. He had some great years for us, but the NFL has clearly moved on from unathletic, one-dimensional quarterbacks like him. We need a QB that can stretch the field. We need a dynamic specimen like Nick Foles. »
The Patriots currently hold two 1st-round picks and two 2nd-round picks and could potentially package them to move up to No. 1 overall to get a quarterback who can catch.
« They’re hoping to have private workouts with Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen and get them to run some routes, » a source said. “But they’re not looking at Lamar Jackson. Bill Belichick doesn’t like how he looks as a receiver. »
