Who should trade up for a QB?

By Greg Fuchs

The 2021 NFL draft is 3 weeks away and there are 2 things we know.
One, there are 5 quarterbacks who will get drafted in the 1 st round.
Two, Jacksonville, the New York Jets and San Francisco are taking QBs
with the first 3 picks in the draft, which leaves 2 quarterbacks available
for the rest of the league to draft. Which begs the questions, “Who
should trade up for a QB?”.
To answer that question, let’s first look at the teams that might need a
QB.
Atlanta – With the 4th overall pick in the draft, they are the one team
that doesn’t have to trade up to get a QB, as they can just draft 1 of the
2 QBs who didn’t get selected with the 1st 3 picks. Many people feel the
Falcons need to draft Matt Ryan’s successor, but due to all of the dead
cap money on Ryan’s contract ($65M in 2021, $40M in 2022) Ryan is
virtually untradeable for at least 2 years. So, why would you use the 4th
pick in the draft on a QB who would likely sit behind Ryan for 2 years?
Since Atlanta has made it known they will listen to offers for the 4th pick
I think we know Atlanta’s feelings on that topic. Hence, they are going
to select TE Kyle Pitts or trade the pick.
Detroit – They pick 7th and some people who aren’t sold on Jared Goff
feel they need to select a QB. But they have a similar problem to
Atlanta in that Goff has a lot of dead cap space left on his contract for
the next 2 years. Therefore, they will select a wide receiver or trade the
pick.
Denver – The Broncos have the 9th overall pick and they are supposedly
ready to move on from Drew Lock. Sitting at the 9th spot, they may not

need to move up to get a QB as 2 teams would need to draft or trade
up ahead of them to select a QB, which probably isn’t likely. But it’s a
risk to stand pat, so a trade up is a possibility.
New England – The Patriots have the 15th overall pick and they signed
Cam Newton to only a 1-year deal, hence they need to add a QB for
their long-term future. But trading into the top 10 will be a challenge
for them as potential trading partners may not want to drop down to
the 15th pick. Do the Pats try to trade up if a QB is still on the board
after the 9th pick?
Washington – They hold the 19th pick, which will make it a challenge to
move up. Plus, my gut says they are OK with their current QB situation
with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke. Is Heinicke their future? I
think Washington will wait a year to answer that question.
Chicago – They have the 20th pick in the draft and probably need a
quarterback more than any other team in the league. Not just for this
season (Andy Dalton, really?), but for their future. No one may be on
the hot seat to improve their team more than Bears GM Ryan Pace and
coach Matt Nagy.
Pittsburgh – The Steelers pick 24th and some people feel they need to
trade up to get Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement, who could retire or
be released after this season. But the Steelers have a lot of areas to
address (i.e., running back, offensive line, edge rusher), so the timing
may not be right plus trading up from the 24th spot would be a
challenge.
So, who trades up then?
We already know the Bears offered 3 1st round picks and 2 players for
Russell Wilson, but were rebuffed by the Seahawks. Therefore, why not
offer something similar (the 20th pick plus their 2nd round pick this year

and 1st round picks in 2022 & 2023) to Atlanta for the 4th overall pick.
For comparison purposes, the 49ers recently traded two 1st round picks
plus a 3rd rounder to Miami to move up from #12 to the 3rd spot. It
makes sense to me for the most QB desperate team in the league.
So, who else trades up? While everyone thinks Denver should draft a
QB to compete with/replace Drew Lock, Broncos rumors have been sort
of quiet. If a QB isn’t selected at #4, do they hold firm and hope at least
1 QB falls to them at #9? If a QB does get picked ahead of them, I think
they move up a spot or 2 to make sure New England or another team
doesn’t move up ahead of them.
If a QB is somehow still available after the 1st 9 picks, then I envision the
Patriots moving up a few spots to assure that another team doesn’t
move up ahead of them.
Quarterback is the most important position in sports and the toughest
to fill. After the first 3 picks in the draft there will be 2 QBs left on the
board and with at least 7 teams needing one. Therefore, 2 teams will
move up to select one. Chicago will be one. As to the 2nd , flip a coin with
the Broncos on one side of the coin and the Patriots on the other.
Stay tuned folks, as the next 3 weeks will be interesting to watch as the
NFL quarterback carousel continues to spin.