When you get to the chapter about the Patriots’ draft options, feel free to toss Nathan Peterman into the mix.
You most likely know Peterman as a Pittsburgh quarterback, but he’ll always be a Tennessee quarterback to me. He spent three years with the Volunteers as a backup before transferring and starting for the Panthers for two years. Most projections have Peterman going late on the second day or early on the third day of the draft.
Other teams that have shown interest in Peterman include the Texans, Steelers, Bills and Chiefs. All of those teams have potential quarterback needs, but the Patriots wouldn’t seem to, with Tom Brady as the starter and Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett both having proven they can play well as backups. The only reason the Patriots would seemingly have to draft a quarterback would be if Bill Belichick plans to strip Garoppolo or Brissett of his Patriots status.
Peterman has a lot of similarities to Garoppolo, and if the Patriots were to draft Peterman, it could be an indication that they’re not quite as opposed to trading Garoppolo as they’ve let on. If the Patriots do say farewell to Garoppolo and replace his roster spot with Peterman, they may tell Garoppolo, “Kudos, Jimmy, on a job . . . done.”