3 potential NFL Draft prospects the Patriots should be paying attention to
By Nick Villano
This is the worst New England Patriots season in decades. The chicken has come to roost after so many years where Tom Brady was keeping this team at the top of the league standings. Bill Belichick is still there, and he's still doing some Bill Belichick things. However, he's not winning.
Mac Jones might be the worst quarterback in the NFL. The Patriots will go nowhere with him under center. Malik Cunningham and Bailey Zappe have only been in the league for a short amount of time, but they are both sneaky old (Cunningham is 25 and Zappe is 24). It's pretty clear the Patriots need to go for one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL Draft.
There are some great names in the draft, but some interesting gameplay has the name at the top in flux. That gives the Patriots time to scout all those at the top. Anyone could fall to them, or they still have an outside shot to be the team with the number-one overall pick. Who should Belichick, or whoever comes next, be targeting?
3. Caleb Williams, QB, USC
This one is obvious, even with his most recent play. Caleb Williams was the guy coming into this year. He was the player worth tanking for. Then, he followed up his Heisman Trophy-winning season with a less-than-stellar effort. Let's just say nobody thinks that Archie Griffin's two Heisman wins are in jeopardy of being matched.
Despite the stats and the record, Williams is still a top NFL prospect. He's still at the top of many mock drafts. However, once we finally get to the process, he could fall to where the New England Patriots are picking. They would be getting the elite of elite quarterback prospect. Williams has all the tools. The Patriots could unleash those tools on the league.
If the Brady curse gave the Patriots Jones, maybe the reversal of the curse is Williams. He's a fantastic player. He might have some lofty aspirations for the NFL, but nobody can blame him for his high hopes. This season might have humbled him, which is perfect right before his entry into the NFL. This league will humble you if you're not already. The fact that it happened in the Pac 12 hopefully puts Williams on the right track.
Williams could have a similar career start to Andrew Luck, who also ended up with a franchise that was more used to contention. The Patriots have pieces (which made their quiet trade deadline day strange) that can help Williams assimilate himself to the NFL.