The New England Patriots have been linked to Lamar Jackson leading up to the NFL Draft, and it sounds like they could be legitimately interested in taking the former Louisville star if he’s still available late in the first round.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the Patriots hosted Jackson for an official pre-draft visit earlier this month, and they came away “intrigued and impressed.”
Relatively quietly, the #Patriots hosted #Louisville QB Lamar Jackson on a Top 30 pre-draft visit, sources say. The visit, which took place 2 weeks ago, left the organization “intrigued and impressed” with Heisman Trophy winner. They may have the option at No. 23.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 23, 2018
Bill Belichick almost never does what people expect him to do on draft day, which is why it seems like there is too much information leaking out about Jackson for the Patriots to actually be interested in him. Still, it’s worth noting that the Heisman Trophy winner could fall to New England when they pick at No. 23 (acquired from the Rams in the Brandin Cooks trade), whereas the other top QB prospects will likely go early in the first round.
Tom Brady might not be happy if the Patriots use a first-round pick on a quarterback, but he did give Jackson a flattering shout-out on social media recently. Perhaps Jackson will be learning under the five-time Super Bowl champion in the near future.
