Patriots Select Jordan Love to Replace Tom Brady in Mel Kiper's New Mock Draft

As the New England Patriots enter a time of uncertainty at quarterback for the first time in 20 years, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has them selecting Tom Brady's heir apparent in the 2020 NFL draft. 

In his third mock draft, released Tuesday, Kiper projects the Patriots will add Utah State quarterback Jordan Love with the 23rd pick:

"Are the Patriots really going to roll with Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer and Cody Kessler as their 2020 quarterbacks? I'm not buying it. I'll stick with a QB here, although I'm moving Love back into the fourth spot in my QB rankings, ahead of Jacob Eason. At 6-foot-4, Love has all the traits that teams look for in a starter, but his 2019 stats—20 TD passses, 17 INTs—will scare off some. I don't put much stock into it because of all of the talent (and an entire coaching staff) that he lost from the 2018 season, when he had 32 TD passes and six INTs." 

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky is an avid supporter of Love, with the former quarterback saying he would take the Utah State signal-caller over Oregon's Justin Herbert:   

Brady left the Patriots to sign a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. 

Per Jim McBride of the Boston Globe, the Pats agreed to a deal with Brian Hoyer on Sunday. The 34-year-old, in his third stint with the team, will join Jarrett Stidham and Cody Kessler in their current stable of quarterbacks. 

There is support in New England's locker room for Stidham, a fourth-round draft pick last year, taking over as the starting quarterback. 

"To me, there were weeks where he was just on point," Patriots safety Devin McCourty said on the Double Coverage podcast (h/t USA Today's Scott Gleeson). "And those were some of our best weeks as a defense, mainly because Stiddy ate us up in practice leading up to the game, and I think put more pressure on us. So I really admire just how hard he works, and then I've got to know him off the field as well."

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has to decide what direction to take the team in the wake of Brady's departure. New England has retained most of the talent from a defense that led the NFL in points allowed (225) and yards allowed per game (275.9). 

Love's overall stat line in 2019 left a lot to be desired (20 TDs, 17 INTs), but the 6'4", 224-pound junior did close the season on a high note with six touchdowns and two interceptions in the Aggies' final two games.