Round and round the quarterback carousel goes, but where Jordan Love ends up Thursday, nobody quite knows.
The former Utah State signal-caller, whom The Post ranks fourth among this year’s quarterback prospects, has been linked to a handful of teams, including the Tom Brady-less Patriots.
Last week, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggested New England could trade up from their No. 23 spot to score Brady’s replacement.
“The Patriots are going to take a quarterback, probably with a premium pick,” Rapoport said on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “I would just imagine it’s not at the pick they currently have.”
With LSU’s Joe Burrow set to go No. 1 to Cincinnati, the Patriots could take a chance on a prospect as polarizing as Love.
Should Love go to the Patriots, he'll likely compete for the starting job
Brian Hoyer, Jordan Love, and Jarrett Stidham Getty Images If Patriots coach Bill Belichick pulls the trigger on Love, the 21-year-old quarterback will likely have to work his way up the depth chart to usurp journeyman Brian Hoyer and last year’s fourth-round pick, Jarrett Stidham, for the starting job.
Hoyer, Brady’s former backup, has 11 years of NFL experience, while Stidham played mop-up duty in three games last season.
The Packers and the Steelers are also in the mix
Though the Patriots could leapfrog to a top spot in the first round of the draft to grab Love, NBC Sports’ Peter King has the 6-foot-4, 225-pound prospect potentially falling to the second round of Friday, either with the Steelers at No. 49 or the Packers at No. 62.
Both Green Bay and Pittsburgh have veteran quarterbacks already at the helm with Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger, respectively.
He's been likened to Patrick Mahomes...
Getty Images Love is certainly fond of having his name included in the same conversation as Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes.
“I like that comparison,” the quarterback said earlier this year during the Senior Bowl practices. “We’ve both got strong arms. [Mahomes] obviously makes ridiculous throws off schedule and stuff like that, some I’ve seen and tried to model my game to make throws like that. I hope to be on the same platform as him.”
Mahomes was selected 10th overall by the Chiefs in 2017 and was named the league MVP in his sophomore season.
... but he has also raised red flags
Love may be able to turn scouts’ heads, but not always for the right reasons. In his final year at Utah State, the Aggies quarterback finished with 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He called the turnovers “17 learning experiences.”
“You’ve got to take the good with the bad,” Love said at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year, per USA Today. “It’s never fun, but if I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t have to throw 17 interceptions next time.”
Love also noted he strives to be consistent in his play.
“You watch my film: I make an incredible play then next thing you know, I miss a swing route or checkdown or something like that,” he explained. “Definitely the most important thing to me is being more consistent.”
