NFL Insiders: Patriots Could Trade Up to Draft Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield

Now armed with two picks in both the first and second round of the NFL Draft following the trade of Brandin Cooks, the Patriots are in prime position to move up and select a quarterback.

If rumors that surfaced on Thursday courtesy of the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta are accurate, Tom Brady’s heir apparent could end up being former Oklahoma Sooners QB Baker Mayfield.

Projected to be the fourth quarterback drafted behind Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner should still be a top-10 pick and the Patriots would almost certainly have to move up from No. 23 overall to get him.

That is not out of the realm of possibility as Mehta said “a few teams in the Top 10, including the Jets, are fully aware of the Patriots’ affinity for Mayfield.”

The claim jibes with an earlier report from the NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora, who noted Bill Belichick’s interest in mobile quarterback in recent years (Tim Tebow, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett) and indicated New England’s locker room culture could handle Mayfield.

“Total hunch here, but I’m thinking Baker Mayfield could be the guy Belichick targets,” La Canfora wrote. “Belichick can handle the kid’s attitude and curb his wayward tendencies and he could be the best value play—especially if three quarterbacks are drafted ahead of him—and Josh McDaniels could coach him up and scheme him up and put him in positions to replicate what he did best at Oklahoma.”

If Darnold, Allen, Rosen, running back Saquon Barkley and defensive end Bradley Chubb all go in the top five as expected, that would leave Mayfield available to the teams picking six through 10.

Those teams (Colts, Bucs, Bears, 49ers, and Raiders) all have young franchise quarterbacks under contract, making it even more likely they could be willing to make a deal with the Patriots.

Is it likely to happen? Hard to day, then again, no one would have predicted the Patriots would trade Cooks for a first-round pick either, so don’t be shocked if the Cooks deal ends up netting the team a Baker.