In Bailey Zappe, The New England Patriots Found Reason Not To Skip A Draft At Quarterback

The 2022 NFL draft saw nine quarterback prospects come off the board. The New England Patriots, an April after taking starter Mac Jones at No. 15 overall out of Alabama, had a hand in the tally.

But it wasn’t only the fact that head coach Bill Belichick’s war room did. It was also when.

Western Kentucky graduate transfer Bailey Zappe got the call from New England in the fourth round as the position’s initial Saturday selection.

“Everything was going to be a surprise when I got drafted,” Zappe told reporters during his introductory conference call. “I have been looking forward to this moment for so long and it is something I have been dreaming of since I started playing football at 5. Getting that call from the Patriots was amazing, and I am more excited to get there, get to work and meet my teammates, meet everyone a part of the organization and get ready to start playing some football.”

Prior to No. 137, Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett landed in the first and then Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, Liberty’s Malik Willis and Mississippi’s Matt Corral all landed in the third.

Zappe was drafted seven slots before North Carolina’s Sam Howell — once projected as a Thursday pick in a thin class — became a Washington Commander. The sixth round went without a quarterback before South Dakota State’s Chris Oladokun, Kansas State’s Skylar Thompson and Iowa State’s Brock Purdy all found homes in the seventh.

A Victoria, Texas native, Zappe was a no-star recruit. He spent four seasons at FCS-level Houston Baptist on the way to becoming a Walter Payton Award finalist and a Hilltopper.

And a developmental value over an immediate need for New England.

“You put on the film of Bailey Zappe and it’s hard not to like him,” Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh said during his post-draft video conference. “It’s a lot of completions, it’s a lot of touchdown passes and it’s a lot of wins. This guy is a winner, the way he’s able to lead and command his team. He’s got a lot of great traits that you want in a quarterback. Most importantly, success, with the way he’s able to produce on the field and do what’s right for the team and get the ball to the playmakers, which he was fortunate enough to have at Houston Baptist and at Western Kentucky.”

Zappe threw for 5,967 yards and 62 touchdowns to set FBS single-season records last fall. He attempted 686 passes and completed 475 of them as Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton added a prolific air-raid attack, offensive coordinator Zach Kittley and additional ingredients from Houston Baptist.

A 59-38 win over Appalachian State marked Zappe’s final start in a college career that spanned 50. It brought 422 yards, six touchdowns and Boca Raton Bowl MVP honors.

“Coming out I only had one offer,” Zappe said. “I still had a dream to play in the NFL. I felt like I only needed an opportunity and I got that. To be here and look back, it has been a long and fun journey.”

Winning Conference USA MVP and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, Zappe’s lone year on The Hill included eight games of at least 400 yards and two games of at least 500 yards through the air. He was held under 300 yards only once. Along the way arrived 11 interceptions to go with a trio of rushing scores.

Invitations to the Reese’s Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine followed for Zappe, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.88 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.19 seconds at 6-foot, 215 pounds.

Zappe ranked No. 147 overall on Arif Hasan of The Athletic’s consensus big board, which featured input from 82 different draft analysts. His grades ranged from fourth-rounder to priority free agent.

He became the Patriots’ 13th selection under center since 2000 — and the fourth in the past five years.

“There’s always value in having good players on your team, and Bailey is a good player and he’s going to add value to our team,” added Groh, who previously served as New England’s director of college scouting. “… Whatever it is at that quarterback position, yeah, one guy is only on the field, but you’d better have another good one or two or three or whoever it is in the system coming up, because you never know when those guys are going to be needed. And if you’re short at that position, you’re going to be in real trouble.

“Just like a college program that might bring in a highly recruited quarterback one year, you can’t really afford to skip a year. You’ve got to have plenty of talent there at that position, and we had an opportunity to add Bailey and tried to add some good value to the quarterback position.”

Zappe joins a Patriots depth chart that includes Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham behind a Pro Bowl alternate in Jones, who completed 67.6% of his passes for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions as a rookie.

Hoyer, 36, re-signed on a two-year contract leading up to free agency and is in his third tour with the organization he joined as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Stidham, 25, heads into the final year of his rookie contract after landing in the fourth round of the 2019 draft and not taking a snap last season.

Now with a seat in the room is Zappe, who turned 23 in the days leading up to his selection.

“I am continuing to be myself,” Zappe said. “I am not trying to be anybody else. I am going to come to work every day and get 1% better. That is how I look at it. I do not worry too much about the naysayers and critics. The Patriots believe in me, and those coaches, players and organization believed in me, and those are the people I’m going to try to prove right, that this pick was the right one.”