Texas A&M product and top quarterback prospect Johnny Manziel is in Foxboro and will meet with the Patriots tomorrow, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport adds that Manziel’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, would not confirm the visit, though Alex Marvez of FOX Sports tweeted that the meeting will indeed take place.
This is probably nothing more than thorough due diligence on New England’s part. Nonetheless, the NFL Network’s Albert Breer tweets that the visit is “interesting” in that it comes on the heels of the team’s meeting with UCF quarterback Blake Bortles in Orlando last week. Bortles, like Manziel, is expected to be taken early in the first round of this year’s draft, and although the Patriots may be looking for a quarterback to groom given Tom Brady‘s age and the fact that Ryan Mallett will be a free agent at season’s end, it is highly unlikely that they would spend their first-round pick on such a quarterback at this point. For that matter, it is highly unlikely that Bortles or Manziel would even fall to New England, who hold the 29th overall pick in the draft.
Nonetheless, it is sure to be an intriguing visit, and we will keep you posted if anything of note should come of it.
Smart teams, like the Patriots, get intel on as many players they can, regardless if they intend to draft them, for purposes that may come in handy down the road (i.e., a player’s second contract).
The mid round QB I hope they pick up is McCarron. I think he can learn a lot under Brady and take over this team once Brady is ready to hang em up. We all, well most of us want Mallet to be that guy, but he will be too old by the time Brady is ready to walk away. The next QB they draft is going to be the one they really start developing.
Patriots never draft players they bring in for official visits, intel gathering, but they often do select mid-round QBs…. good business.