Danny Etling

With starter Tom Brady set to turn 41 in August and backup Brian Hoyer hardly the team's QB of the future, it was widely assumed that the Patriots would invest a premium pick on a signal-caller to groom as Brady's successor. Instead they waited until pick No. 219 to select Etling in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The 6-3, 215-pounder has the frame and enough arm strength to play quarterback at the next level, and clearly the Patriots see something in him, but it would still be a surprise if he ultimately ends up being Brady's replacement. First things first. He'll look to make the team's 53-man roster this fall, but if New England elects to keep just two quarterbacks, it's plausible that Etling could stick on the practice squad.