Louisville Football: Examining Lamar Jackson as a New England Patriot

One team seems to be the front-runner to land former Louisville football QB and Heisman Trophy Winner Lamar Jackson, but is it just a smoke screen?

Over the last several weeks more and more focus has been put on the 2016 College Football Heisman Trophy winner and two-time ACC player of the year Lamar Jackson. We all have heard the played out draft analysts debate over whether the former Louisville football star is a wide receiver or quarterback at the next level, but now with just two weeks to the draft, it seems more and more teams are noticing his potential.

We’ve heard non-stop about his odd decision to go against the grain and not hire any type of agent or representation, instead letting his mother and close friends be in charge of the draft process. You’ve probably heard GM’s, coaches, scouts, etc. say they aren’t sure how to get ahold of him, or they’ve struggled to get meetings.. all of which is a tad bit concerning.

But all of that could be a smokescreen or play to land on a specific team, which plenty of reports mention that team could be the one you least expect. Yahoo, most notably, tends to believe that the team most likely to land Lamar Jackson, shall he fall, is the New England Patriots.

They wouldn’t draft a run-first QB who needs time to develop would they? It’s not as far-fetched as you might think. Let’s take a deeper look into why Lamar Jackson, Bill Belicheck, and the New England Patriots may be a perfect marriage.

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Could this be a smoke screen?

Absolutely.

We are in what many call “lying season,” which is when teams try to do whatever, and say whatever, to get the player they want.

There aren’t many teams who have a poker face quite like New England.

However, when NFL insiders like Mike Freeman, Charles Robinson, and Bucky Brooks are talking about this story having legs, it makes me look at it seriously.

.@BuckyBrooks said this 👇 during our Lamar Jackson conversation on @nflnetwork today. Pretty interesting endorsement here in the IG post comments 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/Ta9ytaMLxC
— Rhett Lewis (@RhettNFL) April 12, 2018

Jackson isn’t the type of player that Belichick normally targets, but reports have it that after watching DeShaun Watson tear up his defense in week three of the 2017-18 season; throwing for over 300 yards & 2 touchdowns, and also recognizing that Father Time is coming, Belichick could very well could be in the market for a QB of the future.

It’s also worth mentioning that New England recently traded their #1 wideout Brandin Cooks to the Rams for the first round pick (#23), which gives the team plenty of flexibility and room to draft a QB.

So why Lamar Jackson?

The Patriots are known for taking non-pro style offense quarterbacks (i.e, Jimmy Garrapolo, Jacoby Brissett, Ryan Mallet) when they do draft QB’s, a description that Lamar Jackson doesn’t come close to fitting (at least not yet). They also don’t take quarterbacks in the first round, which is wherer Lamar Jackson is being projected to go by just about everybody releasing mock drafts (even Mel Kiper). Also, history tells us that the New England Patriots don’t reach for players, instead they’ve become known for trading back and acquiring multiple picks.

The connections between the Patriots and Jackson are strong however, maybe too strong for the Patriots to resist.

More from Big Red Louie

In a column written by Yahoo columnist Charles Robinson, several details are laid out regarding the relationship and connections the Patriots have with Lamar Jackson

From 2014-2016 Matt Lombardi was a graduate assistant on the Louisville football staff, working with Bobby Petrino, while his father Mike Lombardi worked with the New England Patriots in their front office
Former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis once brought what is known as the “Erhardt-Perkins” offense to the Patriots, which is extremely similar to what Bobby Petrino ran with Lamar Jackson at UofL.
In 2017 New England ran 86% of their passing plays out of the shotgun offense, which was the fifth highest in the NFL (This can be attributed most likely to Tom Brady’s older age, and lack of quickness in dropping back/moving in the pocket). During his time at Louisville, Lamar Jackson spent the majority of offensive plays in the shotgun formation.
The Patriots also sent their Director of player personnel to Lamar Jackson’s pro day earlier this month, which was likely in order to scout Jackson and maybe even cornerback Jaire Alexander.
New England and Bill Belichick also have reportedly falling in love with Jackson’s knowledge of the game, acumen for picking up offenses, and the ability to learn at a high level.

While all of these things could mean nothing, and New England could be using certain media outlets to “leak” information to entice another team like New Orleans, Pittsburgh, etc. to move up to take their pick in order to grab Lamar Jackson, it very well could be true that New England has serious interest in the former Heisman Trophy Winner.

Let’s get this straight, he won’t be playing wide receiver there. New England has reportedly scouted a record number of Quarterback’s during this draft cycle, and if Lamar Jackson is who they end up taking, he will be their QB of the future, hands down.

While soon to be Hall of Famer Tom Brady doesn’t seem to be slowing down, playing in the NFL at 41 years is unfathomable, and no one knows how much longer it could last. Jackson would give New England a quarterback of the future, who could sit and watch for the next 2-3 years. While Jackson would get to learn from some of the best football minds in the history of the game, while contributing in other areas and maybe having his own special packages.

Belichick isn’t the type of coach to send high praises. So for him to single out Lamar Jackson, comparing him to DeShaun Watson, it means he’s watching closely.

There isn’t another coach in the NFL who could take Lamar Jackson and use him more creatively, and efficiently than the New England Patriots. They’ve proven that with dynamic players again and again, none as talented as Lamar Jackson.

Next: Spring Game: What 2 Watch 4

The 2018 NFL Draft gets underway on Thursday April 26th, and both former Louisville football stars Lamar Jackson & Jaire Alexander will be in attendance to hear their names called.