NFL 2019 Project: 3 Reasons Why Patriots Formed Quarterback Auburn Jarrett Stidham

The New England Patriots chose Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham, 133rd overall in the NFL draft in 2019, to be a development player behind quarterback Tom Brady.

This is why the patriots wrote Jarrett Stidham.

The most obvious reason for the Stidham Patriots is that Tom Brady is 42 this season and New England needs to think about replacing him. I do not think I really need to go too far in this reasoning.

The Patriots chose to avoid the quarterback position during the first two days of the repechage, as players selected in the first three rounds generally played at least two seasons. A fourth-round pick is usually a lock for a year, but the Patriots can move on from Stidham next year if another hope falls to their heels or even this year if Danny Etling outperforms him, without much trouble.

I'm totally in favor of the Patriots taking a mid-season quarterback until they find Brady's replacement. It is a low cost to strengthen the most important position on the list.

At his best, Stidham is an intelligent, precise and mobile quarterback who knows how to take care of football and who has one of the best balls in the project. His 2017 season was marked by victories over Alabam and Georgia, both teams having played in the national championship, where he scored 37 of 51 (73%) for 451 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. This is the player that the Patriots hope to bring out with more consistency and the one who was considered a potential player of the first round before the 2018 academic football season.

But it failed to develop in 2018 and that is why it broke down. It was limited by a weak offensive system and by secondary actors, but it also fought against pressure and did not advance as planned.

If Stidham can look like the 2017 prospect, he could be a quality replacement with a starting potential. If that's not the case, he's probably no different from Danny Etling and the Patriots may try a new quarterback prospect next year.