Why ex-Patriots lineman thinks team should prioritize QB in NFL Draft
Why ex-Patriots lineman thinks team should prioritize QB in NFL Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Which position should the New England Patriots address first in the 2024 NFL Draft?
That's the (multi) million-dollar question facing de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and the Patriots' front office as they prepare their plans for the No. 3 overall pick, the franchise's highest selection since 1993.
There's an obvious case for New England using that pick on a quarterback; two of the quarterback trio of UNC's Drake Maye, LSU's Jayden Daniels and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy are guaranteed to be on the board at No. 3. But there's also a case for the Patriots trading down -- perhaps with a team like the Minnesota Vikings, as our Patriots Insider Phil Perry laid out in his latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft -- and accumulating draft capital to address other pressing needs such as wide receiver and offensive tackle.
You'd think that latter path would be the preference of a former Patriots offensive lineman like Sebastian Vollmer, the team's second-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft who helped bring two Super Bowl titles to New England. But Vollmer gave a surprising answer on a new Next Pats Podcast when host Phil Perry asked what he would do with the Patriots' first-round pick.
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"You could really argue both ways," Vollmer began. "I think if you have a quarterback -- if you have a C.J. Stroud -- you can make a lot of things look good. But it's also rare that you have a rookie quarterback develop to that degree that quick if you're being under duress. So, I think with the right system and a great quarterback, you can eliminate some of offensive line play.
" ... Personally, if it's the quarterback you want (at No. 3), I would take him. If it's not, I wouldn't reach for the guy you don't want because you're going to be in the same position unless he really develops into something. Then I would go with a tackle."
Stroud presents compelling evidence for drafting a QB at No. 3 overall. The Ohio State product helped the Houston Texans go from 3-13-1 in 2022 to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth in 2023, putting together one of the best rookie campaigns by a quarterback in recent memory.
Stroud might be the exception to the rule, though; he was the first top-three QB to reach the playoffs as a rookie starter since Andrew Luck in 2012. Vollmer understands there's a risk in dropping a first-year quarterback onto a bad team, but he also views a greater reward.
"I feel like it's going to be hard to win a lot of championships without a great quarterback," Vollmer added. "I think it can happen, but I think it's not a dynasty, what you build."
Also in this episode:
Phil Perry breaks down his most recent mock draft
Sebastian Vollmer on whether Belichick’s coaching style works in today’s NFL
Vollmer on former teammate Jerod Mayo becoming head coach
