Bill Belichick likes drafting mid-round quarterbacks almost as much as he likes proving the Patriots are smarter than everyone else.
Enter Florida quarterback Kyle Trask.
There is “a little buzz in league circles that the Patriots are doing a lot of homework on Kyle Trask,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said on his “Move the Sticks” podcast.
Belichick has never used a first-round pick on a quarterback in five seasons as the Browns head coach plus 21 as the Patriots head coach and general manager. Of course he had Tom Brady for 20 seasons and did not need to add a quarterback, but the Patriots have drafted the likes of Rohan Davey, Kevin O’Connell, Ryan Mallett, Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett and Jarrett Stidham between the second and fourth rounds during Belichick’s tenure.
Trask is projected somewhere in that second-, third- or fourth-round range. The consensus is there are five quarterbacks who will be selected in the top half of the first round: Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones.
Lawrence and Wilson are projected to be the first two picks. If the Patriots want to land one of the other three, they likely have to trade up from No. 15 in the first round. But Belichick usually prefers trading back.
The next-best three quarterbacks available are Trask, Kellen Mond and Davis Mills. And three different people will give three different orders on how those three should be ranked.
Trask was a Heisman Trophy finalist after throwing 43 touchdown passes with first-round weapons Kadarius Toney and Kyle Pitts in his sights. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was spotted at Florida’s pro day.
If the Patriots are doing homework on Trask, it could be because they see him as a successor to Cam Newton following the 2021 season. It appears Stidham’s limited window of opportunity already has closed entering his third season.
Or the homework on Trask could be a smokescreen. Or the research could turn up something that says to avoid Trask.
Predicting Belichick’s moves can be like blindfolded swings at a piñata.
