That “Lamar Jackson should be a wide receiver” talk has proved to be nonsense as clearer minds have prevailed and we move closer to the NFL Draft. Jackson, a former Heisman winner, was unfathomably projected to be a mid to late round draft choice in early mock drafts, but his stock has elevated into the first round over the past month.
There were rumors that the Bills, who are in desperate need of a QB after Tyrod Taylors departure, were looking at Jackson, but in Peter King’s latest Mock Draft, he predicts Jackson will be a surprise pick of the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 21, similar to how Cincy shook things up when they drafted Boomer Esiason in round two, back in 1984. Esiason turned out to be a borderline Hall of Famer and by all accounts, Jackson has the same potential
Taylor led the Bills to the playoffs for the first time in 18 years, but Buffalo brass was never really committed to him as the future of the franchise.
The Shadow League on Twitter
Truth. See Lamar Jackson critiques for more proof. https://t.co/TpZt30TCEJ
Some would say that Jackson is an extremely upgraded version of Taylor with more athleticism and dynamic game-breaking ability. Jackson has also been reported as a possible Saints first-round pick, as they are thin at the position after an aging-but-still-lethal Drew Brees.
Lately, however, Jacksons name has been linked to the Patriots and thats made everyone stop what they’re doing and really start looking at all of the things Jackson does well, rather than his deficiencies. In some form of poetic justice, the fact that the NFLs preeminent franchise acknowledges Jackson’s draft worthiness has raised the former Heisman winner’s stock. All of a sudden, Jackson is a great prospect again.
Bill Simmons on Twitter
Spoiler alert: I think Lamar Jackson will be one of the top 2 QBs from this draft (and really really really hope the Patriots get him).
Five Super Bowls rings say when Brady and Belichick talk, people listen. Most expect the Pats to draft a quarterback to eventually succeed Brady, who turns 41 in August and reports say Jackson left his pre-draft meeting with the Pats “impressed.”
A day after it was reported that the Patriots are the NFL team that has shown the most interest in Louisville QB Lamar Jackson, Brady called Jackson “a beast” in an NFL Network Instagram post of Jackson.
Naturally, Jackson was hyped when seeing that Brady — who had a problem with backup Jimmy G breathing down his neck — would welcome him with open arms to the Pats family.
Lamar Jackson on Twitter
The Spoke https://t.co/Woo9c2IMH2
On an NFL Media conference call Friday, NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock continued to push the narrative that Jackson to the Patriots is a real possibility.
Mayock: “I think the Patriots are as comprehensive as any team I’ve ever been around. The homework they do is amazing. So I think they throw a wide net, and they look at a lot of people, and they’ve got two first-round picks. They’ve got a lot of picks this year. I think the first guy they’ve got to evaluate is Lamar Jackson, does he or does he not fit for what they could do down the road. Belichick is an outside-the-box guy, and I think that’s the first thing you’ve got to think of is it’s a contrarian move, but can you go from Tom Brady to Lamar Jackson, just like I asked earlier, can you go from Drew Brees to Lamar Jackson.”
The Patriots have pick Nos. 23, 31, 43 and 63 overall in next week’s draft.
Belichick created some offseason drama for himself by benching starting cornerback Malcolm Butler in a Super Bowl loss to the Eagles that saw Nick Foles dissecting the Pats secondary like a dead frog under a microscope. The fallout from that devastating loss has contributed to Bill’s deteriorating relationship with Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and other players.
So picking Jackson and helping him develop into the best quarterback in the draft, rather than just the most talented is how Belichick can re-establish his greatness and show the NFL world that the game isnt passing him by and he’s still the chip builder. Drafting Jackson and making him a star would truly be Belichick’s greatest accomplishment and would add to his legend and silence those critics who say stealing Brady in the sixth-round was pure luck.
Speak For Yourself on Twitter
@ColinCowherd thinks Bill Belichick could earn “Street cred” if the Patriots draft Lamar Jackson https://t.co/Syg94fZm4m
In light of earlier reports and comments by fossils such as Bill Polian, the Patriots would undoubtedly gain a legion of African-American fans if they bring Jackon into the fold as the common theory among people of color is that his draft status reflect the outdated and biased opinions that non people of color often use to degrade or undervalue black quarterbacks within the NFL.
The NFL world will be watching on Draft day, waiting to see who is going to do the right thing and snatch Lamar Jackson in the first round. If Dollar Bill wants to stay ahead of the game, picking Jackson to learn under Brady and then eventually takeover would give new life to Belichick’s reputation which has taken some hits over the past few months.
