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AFC Notes: Patriots, QBs, Texans, Qvale, Raiders, WRs

April 19th, 2020 at 6:00pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We heard recently that the Patriots would either be selecting a quarterback in the first-round or middle rounds, and Ben Volin of the Boston Globe picked up on an interesting note from Bill Belichick that could point toward the latter. Belichick mostly deflected when asked about the quarterbacks in this draft this past week in his trademark style, but at the end of his remarks he commented that it’s a class “that has decent depth to it.” While Volin readily admits he could be reading too much into it, he thinks it could be a Belichick-equivalent of acknowledging he might strike later in the draft.

Given some of the quarterbacks the Patriots have been linked to, it would certainly make sense. We’ve heard they could be interested in FIU’s James Morgan, a late rise who has moved into the middle rounds recently. Then again there was also a recent report that New England loved Justin Herbert, so who knows. Volin highlights Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Oregon State’s Jake Luton, Iowa’s Nate Stanley, Princeton’s Kevin Davidson, and Morgan as the best middle-round fits for the Pats.

Here’s more from the AFC:

  • The Texans signed Brent Qvale to be their new swing tackle about a month back, and now we have the details on his contract, courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Qvale’s one-year deal came with a base value of $1.047MM, a $137K signing bonus, and $300K in overall guaranteed money. Houston will enter 2020 with Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard as their two starting tackles. Qvale had been the Jets’ swing tackle for a while, starting 14 games over the past four seasons.
  • The Raiders have been linked to the draft’s top receivers with the 12th overall pick, and even if they do draft a wideout they might not stop there. Despite the fact that they have no second-rounder, Scott Bair of NBCSports thinks they might draft two receivers in the first three-rounds. It’s certainly a position of need for Las Vegas, as Jon Gruden seeks to upgrade his offense. Gruden currently has Tyrell Williams and Hunter Renfrow, but neither of those guys are ideal top options. The Raiders also hold the 19th pick, and we’ve heard they could even take a quarterback in the first-round if the opportunity presents itself. With the 12th pick, they should be able to scoop up at least one of Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, or Henry Ruggs III.

NFL Trade Rumors: Houston TexansLas Vegas RaidersNew England PatriotsBrent Qvale

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