New England Patriots trade up for talented QB in 7-round NFL mock draft

It is undoubtedly going to be an interesting offseason for the New England Patriots. This team desperately lacks impact players on both sides of the ball, but they will have an opportunity to add many potential impact players to the mix this offseason. The Patriots will have plenty of room to work under the cap this offseason, putting them in a position to potentially land multiple top free-agent targets for the team.

That being said, nothing is more important than finding gifted players in the 2021 NFL Draft. The New England Patriots have struggled in the draft in recent years and will need to better if they expect their fortunes around. We are going to specifically focus on the Patriots in this seven-round 2021 NFL mock draft, trying to find them impact players who can help them on both sides of the ball.

Note: This mock draft was completed using Pro Football Network’s Mock Draft Simulator.

Round 1, 10th overall

It is not going to be easy for the New England Patriots to solve their quarterback issues this offseason. Simply sitting back at No. 15 and taking Mac Jones or hoping one of the top four quarterbacks falls is far from an ideal solution. In order to potentially fix their quarterback need this offseason, the New England Patriots must get aggressive. How aggressive should they get? Well, I suppose that depends on how quickly the quarterbacks fly off of the board.

In this mock draft scenario, Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson went off of the board with the first two picks. The Carolina Panthers traded up to No. 4 to take Justin Fields. At this point, only Trey Lance remained as a top-10 worthy quarterback prospect remaining. I looked to trade the Patriots up the board many times in order to snag Lance in the top 10 and finally found a taker in the Dallas Cowboys at No. 10.

This trade is pretty simple and makes sense for both sides. The Patriots send the Cowboys their first and second-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft (15th and 46th respectively) in exchange for No. 10. With Lance still on the board, the Patriots find an extremely talented quarterback prospect who they can build their offense around. At No. 15, the Cowboys could still address one of their major defensive needs and also snag a valuable second-round selection.

Lance is an extremely talented quarterback prospect who displays fantastic natural arm talent and is a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands. He was only a one-year starter in college at the FCS level so it is fair to wonder whether he is ready to come in and immediately compete. That being said, Lance is clearly a gifted prospect who has massive upside at the next level.

If the New England Patriots make a trade up the board for Lance, they need to do so with the understanding that he needs time to develop. With no obvious starting quarterback on the roster, this would likely mean that the team would find a bridge quarterback in free agency. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andy Dalton and even a returning Cam Newton would all be worthy names to keep an eye on in this situation.

While adding Lance to the mix may not help the Patriots immediately, this would be a smart move when it comes to the long-term health of the franchise. Let Lance sit behind a veteran quarterback for a year and learn the NFL game. If he progresses, the Patriots would have themselves an extremely exciting quarterback who they could build their roster around in 2022 and beyond.