Julian Edelman praises Jimmy Garoppolo: He's got 'Favre, Rodgers kind of confidence'
In an assessment that can only help New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's trade value, wide receiver Julian Edelman appeared on NFL Total Access on Tuesday where he sang the young QB's praises.
Asked to talk about the Patriots' 2014 second-round draft pick and his trade value, Edelman said (via ProFootballTalk):
“I’m not a paid G.M. so I don’t know the whole value thing. As far as a guy that I could play with every single day, Jimmy Garoppolo, I mean, the guy’s a stud. He went out and played in the regular season and he played very well. He’s got that kind of gunslinger confidence. That Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers kind of confidence. He practices hard, he prepares hard. He’s a good kid, he’s young. I think he’s a good player.”
It's interesting that Edelman didn't go with "Tom Brady confidence" but the wideout has praised TB12 enough over the years.
Given that Brady, who will be 40 years old next season, believes he still has three to five good years left in the tank (and who can doubt that at this point), the defending Super Bowl champs are expected to trade the 25-year-old Garoppolo, who got his first real taste of NFL action early in 2016 during Brady's suspension.
Unfortunately a shoulder injury abbreviated what was expected to be a four-game showcase. But in his two starts in Weeks 1 and 2 (both wins), Garoppolo completed 42 of 59 pass attempts for 496 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. There should be no shortage of suitors for his services, for which New England is seeking a first- and and fourth-round draft pick, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The the track record of success for quarterbacks drafted by New England besides Brady has been not been great. That roster includes Ryan Mallett (third round, 2011), Kevin O'Connell (third round, 2008) and Rohan Davey (fourth round, 2002). But if Edelman is on point, a first and fourth could be a worthy investment.
