Report: This Patriots concern led 49ers to trade up in draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The San Francisco 49ers apparently had the New England Patriots on the mind when they sent three first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins to move up to No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The 49ers, who originally owned the No. 12 pick, had interest in quarterbacks Trey Lance and Mac Jones ahead of the draft and were “concerned” the Patriots would trade up ahead of them to select Jones, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday.
San Francisco believed New England viewed Jones as its potential quarterback of the future based in part on head coach Bill Belichick’s close relationship with Jones’ Alabama coach, Nick Saban, Schefter reported.
Curran: Re-examining the skinny on the Jones-Newton competition
According to Schefter, the Niners’ belief that the Patriots could make a play for Jones played a role in their decision to trade up to No. 3 about a month before the draft.
Schefter’s report makes the Patriots look pretty smart; San Francisco decided it preferred Lance over Jones, while Jones fell to New England at No. 15 without Belichick having to give up any first-round picks to acquire him.
As our Tom E. Curran pointed out Sunday on Twitter, though, the 49ers had motivation to float their interest in Jones. There were pre-draft rumors that New England would trade for San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and the Niners drafting Jones may have convinced Belichick to call up John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan about dealing for his former quarterback.
That’s all in the past, however, and the Patriots appear to have gotten a legitimate talent in Jones, who is set to make his NFL debut Sunday against the Miami Dolphins after beating out Cam Newton for New England’s starting quarterback job.
DraftKings is the official Daily Fantasy partner of the NFL, and for Week 1, new players can PLAY FREE for the one million dollar TOP PRIZE when you make your first deposit. Just download the DraftKings app and sign up with promo code NBCSB.