Baker Mayfield's Agent Says Patriots Showed Interest In Trading Up For QB
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots were expected to draft a quarterback at last week's draft, which they did. In the seventh round.
Their late-round selection of Danny Etling out of LSU doesn't exactly scream "Tom Brady's successor!", but New England reportedly considered a much bigger fish before the draft got underway.
How big? According to agent Jack Mills, the Patriots showed interest in trading up for Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield if he was still around at No. 2.
"We had another team which is going to surprise you. Another team had said, 'You may get a big surprise on draft day, at No. 2, if he's available.' And it was the Patriots," Mills said on MMQB's "The Business of Sports" podcast. "They had 23 and they had 31 and they had two seconds. We thought, 'That's gonna be a heck of a move, to get up that high from where they are.' And of course he wasn't available so we never knew if that was reality or not."
Mayfield ended up being the No. 1 overall selection by the Cleveland Browns, so there was no need for the Patriots to swing a trade with the New York Giants for the second pick. The Patriots ending up using their two first-round picks on players that should help Brady rather than replace him, drafting offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn with the 23rd pick and running back Sony Michel with the 31st pick.
But imagine the fireworks had the Patriots swung a deal to snag a quarterback at No. 2. Brady probably wouldn't have felt too appreciated if that went down, but it would have been glorious for the Patriots to jump ahead of the New York Jets to take Mayfield.