8. New England Patriots (from ATL)*: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
The Patriots have an obvious need at quarterback, but they have a ton of needs in general. And one league source told me that de facto general manager Eliot Wolf “wants to stockpile draft picks.” Not only would the Patriots add a haul of draft capital in a trade back, but in this scenario, they’re still getting a really talented prospect. Alt met with New England offensive line coach Scott Peters at the combine, and he would answer a pivotal need for the offense.
New England doesn’t address its quarterback need in the first round here. But let’s say the Patriots trade a third-rounder (No. 68) to the Bears for
Justin Fields— that would give them a potentially cheaper (and more exciting) “let’s see if it works” plan as they build up the roster. They still would have two second-rounders this year and two first-rounders next year, which would allow Wolf to upgrade several positions.