NFL 2023 Mock Draft: Patriots' Early Pick?
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No matter who the New England Patriots move into the future with in the franchise quarterback role ... and there's an increasingly legitimate case that such a controversy is brewing ... observers are starting to agree that they're going need to upgrade their weapons cache.
Surely, some fans of the Patriots (3-3) don't want to talk about early drafts now that the team is back in the AFC playoff conversation after consecutive victories, but the prognosticators at the NFL Draft Bible have embarked upon the path for them. Placing them in the 11th slot of the first round (the Patriots are currently slated to pick 16th), the early hypotheticals project TCU receiver Quentin Johnston as the next first-round choice to don a flying Elvis on his helmet.
"A tall, long, strong, explosive, and fast pass-catcher, Quentin Johnston is an exciting deep and jump-ball threat who wins with physicality after the catch," the blurb on the 6'4 Johnston reads. "Though he has struggled with injuries and his athletic profile does not lend itself to high-level or diverse route running, the TCU receiver is an immediate low-level starter with elite upside."
Johnston, in the midst of his third season in Fort Worth, is the undefeated Horned Frogs leading receiver through six games, picking up 500 yards and two scores on 34 receptions. He has been particularly explosive over the last two weeks, picking up 386 yards in consecutive victories over ranked competition from Kansas and Oklahoma State. The last 24 of a 206-yard day against the Jayhawks turned out to be huge, as he scored a touchdown with 96 seconds left in regulation, the capper of a 38-31 victory.
Despite missing the first three games of last season due to an injury, Johnson also led the Frogs with 612 yards and scores last year, serving as the only TCU representative with more than two in the latter category.
As competition heats up between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, the Patriots' receiving group has struggled to maintain consistency. No one in the unit has visited the end zone more than once and only Jakobi Meyers is averaging at least 50 yards per game. If the Patriots were to land Johnston's services, he would join fellow Horned Frog Marcus Cannon, who is back for a 10th season in New England after a single campaign with the Houston Texans.
Johnston's Horned Frogs, currently ranked eighth in the Associated Press poll, will face No. 17 Kansas State on Saturday night in Fort Worth (8 p.m. ET, FS1). The Patriots are likewise destined for prime time this week, hosting the Chicago Bears in Monday's Week 7 closer (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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