Patriots have invested significant draft capital at QB position

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In two of the last three years, the New England Patriots have used significant draft-pick capital at the quarterback position, with Jimmy Garoppolo in the 2014 second round (No. 62 overall) and Jacoby Brissett in the 2016 third round (No. 91 overall).

Some believe it is good business to draft quarterbacks annually given the importance of the position, and the Patriots are balancing that line of thinking with a few other factors.

Tom Brady turns 39 on Aug. 3 and he’s successfully fought off Father Time to this point, which the team hopes remains the case well into his 40s. But Bill Belichick and Co., naturally want to be well prepared if things change suddenly, sort of like what happened with Peyton Manning in 2015.

Then, as Belichick noted Saturday night, there’s an aspect of future planning involved. Garoppolo’s contract expires after the 2017 season and the team needs to groom his potential replacement should he depart in free agency or a trade has merit.

“There’s always an element of team planning, especially at that position,” Belichick said. “If you can, you try to look ahead a little bit. If you can’t, then take it as it comes.”

Along those lines, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels shared insight on what …

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