Patriots' Top 2021 NFL Draft Targets

Ever since Tom Brady departed the New England Patriots, their quarterback position has been under tight scrutiny.

So, of course, the talk in the buildup to the 2021 NFL draft revolves around potential moves Bill Belichick can make to land the quarterback of the future.

Cam Newton is back for another season, but he showed in 2020 that he is not the long-term answer at the position.

While it would be nice for the Pats to land one of the top five signal-callers, they may not be in the market for one with the 15th overall pick.

If New England does not trade up, it has to consider filling other needs before attacking the quarterback position on Friday or Saturday.

Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

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If the San Francisco 49ers are looking at Mac Jones or Trey Lance at No. 3, Justin Fields could take a drop that the Patriots could take advantage of.

Fields has more starting experience than Jones and Lance from two years at Ohio State, and he proved he could thrive in big games with 385 passing yards and six touchdowns in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Clemson.

Depending on how the draft shakes out, the Patriots may have to move up a few positions to land his services.

The best potential spots to trade up should be with Detroit at No. 7 or Carolina at No. 8. It would help New England to get ahead of the Denver Broncos just in case they want to land a replacement for Drew Lock.

If the Patriots decide to stay put at No. 15, they may miss out on the top five quarterbacks and attempt to land one to work under Newton in the mid-to-late rounds.

After all, that was the strategy that worked with Brady in 2000.

Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota

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If New England wants to give Newton one more year at the helm, it needs to surround him with more weapons.

Rashod Bateman could be the best available at the position after Ja'Marr Chase, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle come off the board.

The 21-year-old broke out in 2019 with 1,219 receiving yards during Minnesota's 11-2 season. He had 472 yards on 36 receptions in the truncated 2020 campaign.

New England brought in Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor in free agency, but it still needs a true No. 1 wideout to emerge from the players on its roster.

Bateman could develop into that type of player, and if he performs well in 2021, the Pats could have a deep receiver corps with N'Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers also chipping in.

Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech

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Caleb Farley will likely fall to No. 15 because of some injury concerns from his time at Virginia Tech.

When healthy, the 22-year-old is one of the best cornerbacks in the draft class, which makes him an intriguing prospect for the Patriots with Stephon Gilmore on the final year of his contract.

In two seasons on the field, Farley earned six interceptions, including four in his sophomore campaign in 2019.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported "several general managers told NFL.com this week they have no major concerns about the medical report on Farley and believe he'll still go in Round 1. Others say they believe he'll slide to Round 2."

If Farley recovers from his back injuries, he could be ready for training camp and may end up as a potential successor to Gilmore.

If Patrick Surtain II or Jaycee Horn somehow fall past the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, New England should consider one of them, but it doesn't seem likely they will drop to No. 15. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.