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Patriots’ best draft pick in a decade might not be enough for a top-5 QB | Nick O’Malley (Draft Notebook)

The New England Patriots have the No. 15 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. That’s pretty good. It’s certainly the franchise’s best draft pick since 2008 (when they had one in the top 10).

But in terms of using it to grab a top-tier quarterback prospect, it might end up being useless -- at least on its own.

All along, we knew the Patriots had no chance at Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. After a while, it became clear that BYU’s Zach Wilson was another superior prospect who wouldn’t be falling down the board.

But as the pre-draft process continues and the quarterback market takes shape, a troubling possibility is emerging for New England: The top five quarterbacks in this year’s draft may come off the board by the time the No.