The biggest question surrounding the New England Patriots heading into next week's NFL Draft is whether they will take a quarterback in the first round.
The Patriots currently own the 15th overall pick, but they could trade up the draft board to select one of the top QBs in the draft: Justin Fields, Mac Jones, or Trey Lance. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are all but certain to be drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets with the first and second picks.
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We've heard plenty about Fields and Jones over the last few weeks, but Lance stands out as an intriguing option. In 2019, the North Dakota State product completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,786 yards, 28 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 TDs.
On a brand new Next Pats Podcast, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah explains what makes Lance so special.
Next Pats Podcast: Daniel Jeremiah says ‘heck yes’ Trey Lance is a fit for the Patriots | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
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"He's played in a complicated system where he had a good amount of responsibility on his shoulders, and so even though the starts are what they are, you've got 17 starts to work off of, what we know is irrefutable," Jeremiah said. "He's built like a brick house so he's going to be durable. He's going to add to your running game because you can use some quarterback-designed run game, which he's built to handle.
"He's incredibly intelligent. I've spent time with him and have talked to a bunch of teams that have spent time with him and have been kind of blown away through the interview process with him. The character, the work ethic, all that stuff is exceptional from everybody that you talk to at North Dakota State. So all those things, we know going in he's got all that stuff. There are some mechanical things he can work on ... that stuff's all fixable. ... Everything you have, you love, and the things that aren't maybe where you want them are all correctable."
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So does all of that make Lance a good fit for New England?
"I'm in," Jeremiah said. "I know the limited number of games, I get all that, but when you have a guy with this skill set and you match the skill set with the intelligence he has, he's going to figure it out. I firmly believe it. So would he be a fit for the Patriots? Heck yes."
Also discussed in the episode: Jeremiah explains why he’d take Lance over Mac Jones, Tom Giles breaks down the best prop bets for the NFL Draft, and the Next Pats mailbag.
Check out the latest episode of the Next Pats Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch on YouTube below: