The good news for Mike Vrabel is that he doesn't need a quarterback heading into next month's NFL Draft. The bad news for him is that there are only two non-quarterback prospects considered "blue-chip" talents, and he has the No. 4 overall pick.
Those two players would be, of course, Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado dual threat Heisman-winner Travis Hunter. No guarantee the Patriots get either one.
The case for a trade down, then, is a relatively easy one to make.
If Carter and Hunter are both gone, look for buyers.