Patriots Trade Rumors: Brandin Cooks Deal 'All About' Moving Up for QB in Draft

The New England Patriots' acquisition of an additional first-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft in the trade of wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Los Angeles Rams was reportedly "all about" creating an opportunity to land one of the class' prized quarterback prospects.

On Wednesday, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported the Pats didn't make the deal to create a better trade package for New York Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. Instead, the franchise is focused on finding a future replacement for Tom Brady with the extra draft capital.

New England may be targeting Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield if it's able to move up in Round 1 by packaging a couple of picks, per La Canfora.

Mayfield is one of the six quarterbacks with the potential to come off the board in the opening round. Sam Darnold (USC), Josh Rosen (UCLA), Lamar Jackson (Louisville), Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State) and Josh Allen (Wyoming) are the others.

The question is how high the Patriots, who now own picks No. 23 and 31 in the first round, would have to move to get the Sooners standout. The New York Jets started the blitz toward the top last month by getting the third pick from the Indianapolis Colts, likely to acquire a QB.

Brady, 40, hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. He completed 66.3 percent of his throws for 4,577 yards with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions while playing all 16 regular-season games last season.

That's why the Pats felt comfortable dealing Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in October. It's also why trading inside the top 10 for another QB would be a surprise, though the Garoppolo trade shows signal-callers retain value well, so the team could cash out again if Brady keeps rolling.

For now, it puts pressure on the likes of the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals to move up from the middle of the round if they want to secure a quarterback before New England potentially moves ahead of them.