New England Patriots: Is Jarrett Stidham the Tom Brady successor?

By Dan Schmelzer | May 2, 2019

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images /

Does New England Patriots fourth-round selection Jarrett Stidham have what it takes to eventually replace Tom Brady?

The New England Patriots taking a flyer on Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft was far from a surprise. Tom Brady could hang it up at any time and the Pats have not had anything close to resembling his successor on the roster since Jimmy Garoppolo. Mid-round quarterbacks like Stidham rarely become long-term starters, but it is possible that the Pats found a diamond in the rough here.

Stidham is a former five-star recruit who began his college career at Baylor. After the Art Briles controversy, Stidham left Baylor after only one season at the school. He then sat out for a year before landing at Auburn.

In two seasons as Auburn’s starting quarterback, Stidham put up solid, yet unspectacular production, completing 63.6% of his passes for 5,592 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Stidham was essentially used as a game manager in Auburn’s run-heavy offense. Could this be a situation where the New England Patriots found a talented quarterback prospect who simply was not in a good position to showcase his talents? After watching more of Stidham, I believe that is exactly what happened.

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Stidham is a smart player who reads defenses well and shows the ability to progress through reads as the play unfolds. He also has a strong arm and consistently throws a pretty ball. His accuracy in the short to intermediate range is impressive and he also shows the ability to put the proper touch on his passes. On top of that, Stidham is a mobile quarterback who can create in and out of the pocket and does not lose his accuracy when he is on the move.

Stidham did struggle with pressure in college, lacking necessary anticipation in the pocket and simply looking indecisive with pressure in his face. He also struggled with deep ball accuracy in 2018, but that was not as much of an issue in 2017.

The newest New England Patriots signal-caller certainly has some warts as a prospect, but that is why he was available for them in the fourth round. When it comes down to it, he has the physical skill set to have success at the next level and shows the ability to consistently place the ball well. If nothing else, that is a good start.

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I am not guaranteeing that Stidham will be an adequate replacement for Brady or anything like that, but I do like his game and think that he could drastically improve in this situation. Josh McDaniels and company will be able to groom Stidham on the side while Brady finishes up his career. If he shows promise and capitalizes on his upside as a passer, great! If not, they are only out a measly fourth-round pick and can take another shot on the position next year.