The New England Patriots can move and shake in the NFL draft next week and get a 45-touchdown quarterback in Oregon’s Bo Nix as Pro Football Focus sees it.
PFF’s Nathan Jahnke has the Patriots taking Nix at No. 9 followed by Georgia tackle Amarius Mims at No. 27 amid three first-round trades in PFF’s mock draft on April 17. Jahnke, overall, has the Patriots trading back twice and trading up once, which will net No. 47 pick in the second round for this year plus a second-round pick, third-round pick, fourth-round pick for 2025. The Patriots could use the future picks to build amid a roster littered with needs.
New England first trades the No. 3 pick to the New York Giants in exchange for the No. 6 pick, the No. 47 pick in the second round, and a 2025 third-round pick. New England then trades that No. 6 pick to the Chicago Bears for the No. 9 pick, which leads to Nix, plus a 2025 second-round pick and fourth-round pick.
“If they fell in love with a quarterback, they are less likely to trade back, but they seemingly are interested in Nix,” Jahnke wrote. “They brought multiple people to Oregon’s pro day. If the Patriots can pull these trades off and land Nix, they could be one of the big winners of the draft.”
Bo Nix “Generally Accurate to All 3 Levels’
Nix dominated at Oregon in 2023 with a 77.4% completion rate for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns versus three interceptions. The Patriots desperately need a boost on offense after scoring just 13.9 points per game amid 16 passing touchdowns, and Nix could change that, though not in the same gun-slinging way he did in Eugene, Oregon.
“The appeal with Nix is that you know exactly what you’re getting with the 24-year-old,” Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar wrote on April 16. “Nix is generally accurate to all three levels, can execute the schemed open throws within structure, and has enough arm talent and mobility to project him into a starting role.”
“The Oregon product won’t be a big-time playmaker, as he lacks the aggressiveness to test tight windows, but he’ll do the job in a similar mold as Alex Smith or Andy Dalton,” Lazar added.
Patriots Could Consider Either Direction, Eliot Wolf Says
New England very well could trade the No. 3 pick and look later for a quarterback such as Nix amid many pressing roster needs. Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf said it could go either way during Thursday’s press conference.
“We’re open to anything. Moving up, moving down. We’re open for business in the first round, and in every round. We have some holes we feel like we need to fill in the draft. We’re drafting to develop the team,” Wolf said. “The more picks we have the better. But if there’s an opportunity to move up and strike, if the board kind of recommends it, then we won’t be afraid to pull the trigger on that either.”
Wolf acknowledged it’s a “unique year” for quarterback and that he’s impressed with “all six” of them. That said, Nix is the oldest of that crew at 24 years of age, but Wolf emphasized that’s not a concern.
“Yeah, we don’t really look at the age specifically, it’s more the skill set. All of these guys have been coached well in college, some longer than others. But we feel like every individual’s situation is different,” Wolf said.
