It's widely assumed that the New England Patriots are going to target a successor to Tom Brady at some point during the 2019 NFL Draft. Brady will turn 42 before the start of the 2019 season, and while he still helped lead the team to a Super Bowl last season, the Patriots need to start thinking about drafting a young quarterback to develop behind him and learn from him.
Safe to say, this has some of the top quarterback prospects in the draft excited.
In interviews at the NFL Combine, both West Virginia's Will Grier and NC State's Ryan Finley have praised the Patriots and have spoken about the potential of playing with Tom Brady. Per Henry McKenna of USA Today Sports, Grier loves the idea of playing on the Patriots for one major reason.
“The opportunity to learn from (Brady) would be priceless.”
Meanwhile, Finley hasn't yet met with the Patriots, but he said it would be a dream to learn from Brady and Bill Belichick, according to NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry.
It's easy to see why a young player would want to land in New England. The team has won six Super Bowls since 2001, and they have appeared in three consecutively. Players like to win, and the Patriots have been winners for the better part of the last two decades.
New England Patriots
The Patriots have also built up quite a reputation for developing quarterbacks behind Brady. Players like Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Jacoby Brissett have all gone on to serve in starting roles after playing behind Brady. So, the opportunity to learn from Brady and Belichick while developing is enticing, especially for prospects that may need time to adjust to the NFL.
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