Way-Too-Early 2021 Mock Draft: Patriots Take North Dakota State QB in 1st Round

If all fails at the quarterback position in 2020, that position will be the top need for the Patriots heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. But that is TBD.

What better to do after the 2020 NFL Draft than to look ahead to 2021? That's what SI.com did when they compiled their way-too-early 2021 mock draft this week. 

The mock draft had four teams taking quarterbacks on Day 1, which included the Jacksonville Jaguars (Trevor Lawrence, Clemson), Carolina Panthers (Justin Fields, Ohio State), Pittsburgh Steelers (Jamie Newman, Georgia) and the New England Patriots, who took North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance. 

Here is what SI said about the Patriots taking Lance with the 26th (?!) overall selection in the first round:

"With only two quarterbacks—Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer—on the roster, it’s surprising that Bill Belichick (or his trusted sidekick) didn’t at least draft a late-round quarterback. This dual-threat quarterback threw 28 touchdowns (and no interceptions) while also rushing for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns as Lance won the Walter Payton Award as a redshirt freshman."

The mock draft was made by inverting Vegas Insider's Super Bowl odds and slotted teams by conference based on how the NFL draft takes playoff finish into account. Vegas still has relatively high hopes for how New England finishes the 2020 season despite no longer having Tom Brady, which is why it's a questionable decision to choose a quarterback in the first round next year. 

If the Patriots manage to make it to the playoffs in 2020 - which based on Vegas' odds they will - one has to think a part of that is because of the success of 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham, who is projected to be the starting quarterback for New England next season. If Stidham does well enough to help the Patriots make it to the postseason, then it's hard to imagine New England will spend a premium draft pick on a QB next offseason.