2011 NFL Draft: New England Patriots Targeting Washington QB Jake Locker

In a report released by ESPN Boston Tuesday, former Washington quarterback Jake Locker is in Foxborough, MA visiting the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

Locker spent all day yesterday with the New England Patriots and is set to have another visit with the team Wednesday. Locker is one of the draft's top passers and is set to go in the latter part of the first round.

Last year, around this time, the Patriots were showing significant amount of interest in quarterback Tim Tebow. Bill Belichick and company took Tebow out to dinner in the North End of Boston and spent several hours with the prospect—ultimately, the Patriots never drafted Tebow as he was selected 25th overall by the Denver Broncos.

Could New England really be looking for their future quarterback and preparing themselves for the after Brady era? Would Belichick really spent a first-round pick on Locker?

You never know—no one knows what the Patriots are planning to do on draft day.

If New England were to select Locker, what kind of quarterback would they be getting?  

Strengths

Locker has a very strong arm and has the ability to make all of the NFL throws. He throws with great velocity and isn't afraid to take shots deep. 

He plays with great mechanics and has arguably the quickest release in the 2011 draft class. Locker has great footwork and is very athletic in the pocket—he can take off and run if he has to. 

Overall, Locker is fundamentally sound and has all the intangibles to be a great NFL quarterback—despite what the stats may indicate. 

Not only does Locker have a great skill-set, he is a natural leader and a fierce competitor. 

Weaknesses

Locker's only glaring weakness is that he's inaccurate at times. He struggles with short passes because he throws it as hard as he can and he tends to put too much air under the ball when going deep.

For a play with such amazing talent, it's rather surprising to see his completion percentage so low. 

Due to his amazing arm strength, he tends to force balls; thinking that he'll be able to muscle them in. 

Over his four-year career at Washington, Locker only completed 53.9 percent of his passes—which is certainly alarming.

Conclusion

I do not see the Patriots selecting Locker at 17th overall in the draft. 

I believe that New England using one of their allowed 30 visits on Locker is to drive the price up on the guy and to try and force teams like the Seattle Seahawks to trade up a few spots to grab New England's 17th overall pick. 

Although if Locker is available at 28th when the Patriots pick, I wouldn't be surprised if the Patriots grab him right then and there. Locker would be a development project and could be the answer of the future—similar to Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. 

When all is said and done, the New England Patriots have the greatest player in the league. Quarterback Tom Brady just signed a four-year contract with the team and isn't showing any sign of aging. 

Also, the Patriots have a decent backup quarterback in Brian Hoyer, whom they have a lot of faith in. 

The visit with Locker is probably a smoke and mirrors act by Belichick to drive up the price on the former Washington quarterback. Although I wouldn't be too surprised if New England takes a developmental quarterback in the latter rounds of the draft as they only carried two quarterbacks in 2010.

NOTE: This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter @ TonySantorsa.