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According to FOX Sports analyst Colin Cowherd, the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers are working on a trade for the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
Cowherd said on Wednesday that the Patriots and Panthers have everything worked out. The Patriots are waiting to see what the Falcons do in the first round before pulling the trigger on the trade.
2021 NFL Draft: Why are the New England Patriots waiting for the Atlanta Falcons before trading up?
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The Atlanta Falcons hold the fourth pick in the 2021 NFL draft. If the Falcons draft a quarterback, the Patriots will stay where they're at in the draft.
If the Falcons go with tight end Kyle Pitts, which is who everyone thinks they'll pick, then the Patriots will make a trade with the Carolina Panthers to draft Justin Fields or Mac Jones.
But if the Atlanta Falcons draft Trey Lance with the fourth overall pick, New England won't need to trade up to No. 8, unless they catch wind of the Chicago Bears trying to move up to draft a quarterback.
The Atlanta Falcons could make the same mistake that the Chicago Bears made when they drafted Mitch Trubisky over Deshaun Watson. Kyle Pitts is a generational talent and the Falcons should select the tight end with their first-round pick.
2021 NFL Draft: Could the New England Patriots miss out on a QB?
Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers are looking to be all-in on Mac Jones with the third overall pick. They can definitely throw a wrench into the New England Patriots' plans if they draft Justin Fields or Trey Lance.
If the 49ers select Justin Fields and the Atlanta Falcons take Trey Lance, that leaves Mac Jones as the only potential option for the Patriots.
New England wants a quarterback that has the same playing style as Cam Newton. They've stacked their offense around Newton's playing style. Mac Jones is not in the same mold as the former NFL MVP.
If four quarterbacks are selected with the first four picks in the 2021 NFL draft, New England will likely miss out on all the top quarterback prospects available this year.
The Patriots have reportedly circled in on Trey Lance as their primary target, but Bill Belichick and the Patriots believe that the asking price to trade up into one of the top five spots to draft the quarterback will be too steep.
It's going to be an interesting Day 1 of the 2021 NFL draft. Buckle your seatbelts NFL fans and enjoy the fireworks.
