Patriots' Unwillingness to Draft QB Early Shows They're Not Lying About Faith in Jarrett Stidham

Once Tom Brady defected from New England to Tampa Bay, the Patriots organization expressed their faith in young quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Nobody was buying it, however, because of the loaded QB class in the 2020 NFL Draft. Bill Belichick couldn't possibly pass on talents like Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love, right?

Well, he did. After the first two days of the event, it appears the Patriots weren't lying. Stidham is the guy in New England.

The Patriots entered Day 1 with 12 selections, so they had the capital to at least attempt to move up from the No. 23 spot to select either Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert. They didn't. Jordan Love, a raw quarterback with elite upside, fell to their range. Instead, they flipped the pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for more draft picks. Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm on Day 2? Nah, Bill Belichick's not feeling either of them. Instead of taking Jalen Hurts with one of their second-round picks, they loaded up on defensive players and then opted to draft two tight ends with selections 91 and 101.

New England's brain trust essentially declared that Stidham was better than any of the signal callers available in the draft.

During his sophomore season at Aurburn, Stidham showed he had the makings of becoming a quality quarterback at the pro level. That changed once he had a down 2018 campaign, and many draft experts said his only chance of succeeding in the NFL was if he joined the right team with the right coaching staff. Perhaps there's no better coaches for Stidham to work with than Belichick and Josh McDaniels, who turned Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett into quality QBs.

Patriots fans may not like it, but the team has put all their chips on the table for Stidham in 2020. They seemingly trust him and want to give him a shot this upcoming season. It's time to swallow that pill and just accept it already.