Patriots 2021 Mock Draft Roundup — April 12 Edition

Will the New England Patriots come out of the first round of the 2021 NFL draft with a quarterback? National mock drafts are split on that idea

By far the biggest question when it comes to the New England Patriots and the 2021 NFL draft is whether the team will come out of the first round with a quarterback.

Based on a survey of 20 national mock drafts since the top of the first round was shaken up by the Miami Dolphins trades with the San Francisco 49ers and then the Philadelphia Eagles, it seems we have a split decision with a slight edge to a "yes" answer.

Out of those 20 mocks, ranging from ESPN.com to NFL.com with multiple prominent daily newspapers in between, 11 had the Patriots landing a quarterback in the first round.

RELATED: Ranking the Patriots First-Round Picks of the 2010s

Six of them even had the Patriots not having to trade up in the first round to get that quarterback.

Four mocks had the Patriots taking Mac Jones from Alabama at number 15, while two others had them taking Trey Lance from North Dakota State.

There were four trade scenarios presented for the Patriots to move up for a quarterback, with three different draft positions and three different quarterbacks involved.

Two of the trades had New England dealing with Atlanta for the number 4 spot, one to take Lance and the other to take Justin Fields from Ohio State.

One trade had the Patriots moving up to number 10 in a deal with Dallas to take Jones, and finally ESPN's Todd McShay had them acquiring the 11th overall pick from the New York Giants to select Fields.

Among the other nine mock drafts that had the Patriots staying put at 15, the most popular choice was Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons with four mentions, followed by Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle with two.

Getting one mention apiece were Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith, Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II and Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins.