New England Patriots full 2021 NFL mock draft

3rd Round

The Patriots are almost definitely going to take a quarterback in this year’s draft. There are a lot of intriguing prospects across the board. There are the obvious first rounders like Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, and Zach Wilson. There are some early wild cards like Mac Jones. Then, there are late-round gem possibilities like Kellen Mond, Jamie Newman, and Sam Ehlinger. The Patriots are going with a QB who has flaws, but his upside is very high.

Kyle Trask was out of this world for the Florida Gators this season. He surprised a lot of people when he took over for Feleipe Franks, who’s also available in this year’s draft. Franks broke his leg in the middle of a game in 2019, and Trask was immediately one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. Last season, he threw for 42 touchdowns and more than 4,200 yards.

He lost the last three games of his career, which is one of the reasons his stock is way down. In his final college game in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma, the Gators got trounced and Trask threw three interceptions. Before that, he had five on the season.

Trask is someone many had pegged as a future coach before last season. He’s incredibly smart and makes good decisions on the field. However, he has physical limitations. His arm strength doesn’t compare with his counterparts. He’s not mobile in the least bit. If the offensive line is bad, Trask isn’t going to thrive. However, his ability to see the field and knowing his limitations could turn him into a decent quarterback one day. He’s not someone Josh McDaniels can peg into the starting lineup on day one, but he can be a project that turns out great in the long term.

The Patriots got this pick as compensatory after losing Tom Brady to the Bucs. It would be ironic if they used it to draft the quarterback of the future.