The New England Patriots enter the upcoming NFL draft with nine picks at their disposal.

And the Patriots could earmark one of those selections for a quarterback after trading Joe Milton III to the Dallas Cowboys last week.

It’s not a “loaded” or “deep” quarterback class, according to ESPN draft analyst Joran Reid. But the Patriots could use one of their later-round picks — they have two fifth-round and two seventh-round selections — to take a flier on a project signal-caller and work to develop him.

Reid actually sees Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard as a “late-round dart throw (who) fits the Patriots a ton.”

Leonard, 22, led the Fighting Irish to the national title game this past season after spending the first three seasons of his collegiate career at Duke.

Leonard completed 66.7% of his passes for 2,861 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2024.

He also ran for 906 yards and 17 scores on the ground.

Leonard, who stands at 6-foot-4 and 216 pounds, is projected to be a fifth-round draft pick. The Patriots could use the selection (No. 171 overall) they just got from the Cowboys on Leonard.

He would give New England another young signal-caller in the quarterback room, but wouldn’t threaten Drake Maye’s starting job.

It also would be good for the Patriots to snag another quarterback in the event Maye gets injured and they need someone to backup veteran Josh Dobbs.

The Patriots have options outside of Leonard, too. Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, Louisville’s Tyler Shough, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Ohio State’s Will Howard, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Minnesota’s Max Brosmer could all be available in the later rounds.