In his latest mock draft, Phil Perry reveals how the Patriots can stockpile picks to get what they need in the 2022 draft
The New England Patriots are fortunate they needed a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft and not the 2022 NFL Draft.
The 2021 class was loaded with QB talent, and five players at the position were selected in the first round, with Alabama's Mac Jones the last one to go at No. 15 overall to the Patriots.
Jones was, at least statistically, the top rookie quarterback in the league during the 2021 season. He completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 17 games. His strong play helped the Patriots get back to the AFC playoffs with a 10-7 record.
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SIGN UP HERE Where would Jones rank if he was in the 2022 class?
ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. did a conference call with reporters Thursday, where he explained that Jones would be the top quarterback available if the former Crimson Tide star was entering this year's draft.
"I'd say if you put Mac in this class, he'd probably be right there with Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis. I remember last year he was the fifth quarterback taken but I had him (ranked) higher than that at No. 4 (among quarterbacks)," Kiper said.
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"If you don't know what you know right now, if he was coming out of Alabama, where would he go? On talent, Malik would still be a guy we're talking about and we'd probably put Mac right ahead of Kenny Pickett. So it would be Malik on talent, but Mac probably would've edged him out.
"Malik doesn't have the grade that Trey Lance did. Mac probably would've edged all the quarterbacks out. Knowing what we know now, we'd put him No. 1. But if you just go by what we knew coming out of Alabama, he'd still be No. 1 and Malik would've fallen in at No. 2."
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Kiper released his latest 2022 NFL Mock Draft on Thursday, and he predicts only two quarterbacks will be selected in Round 1. The first is Liberty's Malik Willis going sixth overall to the Carolina Panthers, and the other is Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett going to the Pittsburgh Steelers at 20th overall.
The 2022 class is pretty weak at quarterback compared to recent drafts that have produced young stars such as Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, etc.
There's a lot more depth and talent at positions such as offensive line, wide receiver and several areas on defense. That's good news for teams like the Patriots that already have a quality quarterback running their offense and have other roster needs to address.
For more of Mel Kiper Jr.'s insight into the 2022 NFL Draft and what the Patriots might do, tune in to NBC Sports Boston's Next Pats Podcast on Monday when the ESPN expert joins Phil Perry.
