The Patriots Should Trade Stephon Gilmore on Draft Day to Move Into the Top 5 and Grab a Quarterback

The New England Patriots' roster looks nothing like the group that suited up to face the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. A handful of core players, including, oh, someone who played quarterback named Tom Brady, have left in free agency. Others, like longtime kicker Stephen Gostkowski, were simply cut loose by the organization.

Well, that turnover might yet become more significant. On Wednesday, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe claimed on Twitter that the Patriots will either extend or trade star cornerback Stephon Gilmore, with both halves of the coin indicative of their two potential pathways -- attempted contention, or a predetermined step back.

If Bill Belichick is genuine about starting from scratch -- trading Gilmore would indicate just that -- he should look to offload the Defensive Player of the Year on draft day to move into the top five and select one of the top gunslingers in this year's crop, instead of waiting for next year.

That, right there, should be Belichick's master plan.

Mel Kiper's latest mock draft has the Patriots drafting Utah State signal caller Jordan Love with the No. 23 overall pick. We aren't writing Love off as a player, but his numbers with the Aggies won't generate much excitement among fans in Foxborough.

The thought of Belichick getting his hands on one of Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert is terrifying from a neutral viewpoint. The transition from Brady shouldn't be this easy, but Gilmore is simply that valuable of an asset. In his age-29 season, the former No. 10 overall pick just put together his most dominant campaign in the league.

And, in case you were wondering about Tagovailoa's health, his hip looks to be in pristine condition.

Parting ways with Gilmore won't be easy for Belichick, but he'll sleep just fine at night if he manages to land a future franchise quarterback in return for the lockdown CB.