Trade Back? Patriots Apparently Not Interested Given This Draft Report

The New England Patriots could find themselves in a difficult position when they get on the clock at No. 4 overall Thursday night.

The draft isn’t stocked with blue-chip talent as only two players — Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Penn State’s Abdul Carter — really fit that billing. And neither Hunter nor Carter might be available when it’s time for the Patriots to pick. Things might really get dicey for New England if they aren’t sold on LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, either.

If that’s the case, the Patriots could possibly look to trade back and accumulate more draft capital while getting the player they really covet in the first round a few picks later.

But that scenario doesn’t look likely, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“The Steelers (No. 21) are among the teams interested in moving back from their first-round slot,” Schefter wrote. “That list also includes the Jaguars (5), Panthers (8), 49ers (11), Falcons (15), Seahawks (18), Buccaneers (19) and Vikings (24), who currently have four picks, the fewest any team.

The Patriots are notably absent from Schefter’s list as signs at the moment are pointing to them standing pat and using their fourth overall pick.

New England trading back might be proving difficult due teams being uninterested in moving up, but as Schefter noted, things can always change once players starting coming off draft boards.

“There has been, however, a lack of teams willing to trade up — at least so far,” Schefter wrote. “Denver is one of those: The Broncos have made inquiries about moving up in Round 1, according to sources. But there aren’t many others. This always could change when players start falling and teams are on the clock.”