The New England Patriots are in need of a quarterback, and owner Robert Kraft is not pulling any punches in letting everyone know about it.
The good news for the Patriots is that they own the third overall pick in the NFL Draft next month, so they should have a grand opportunity to select a top-flight quarterback prospect.
Kraft certainly seems on board with that plan.
“As a fan, I put my fan hat on and I definitely would,” Kraft said, via Eric Edholm of NFL.com. “In the end, you can’t win in this league consistently unless you have a first-rate quarterback and a first-rate coach.”
Of course, Kraft is used to excellence both under center and on the sidelines.
Tom Brady quarterbacked the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships between 2000 and 2019, and Bill Belichick coached the team for 24 years between 2000 and 2023 while also serving as general manager.
Since Brady’s departure, New England has struggled to find an answer at signal-caller, as 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones struggled, and Bailey Zappe did not inspire much confidence behind him.
Now, Kraft has a new coach in Jerod Mayo and a new general manager in Eliot Wolf who will be making the decisions, and while Kraft definitely has his own opinions, he seems comfortable allowing Mayo and Wolf to handle the job.
“We’re gonna be open to whatever can come our way,” Kraft said. “In the end, I’ll let the team make the decision what they think is best. One way or another, I’d like to see us get a top-rate, young quarterback.”
USC’s Caleb Williams is expected to be taken by the Chicago Bears with the No. 1 overall pick, which leaves North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels as the most likely quarterbacks the Pats would take at No. 3.
We’ll see which direction Robert Kraft and the Patriots choose to go at the end of April, but one thing we do know is that they will almost certainly be selecting a quarterback.
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