Former NFL executive Randy Mueller has an interesting idea for teams looking to get the best out of drafted quarterbacks. 

Mueller told Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post that any club that uses a valuable draft asset to acquire a quarterback should also try to immediately hire either the offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach from the signal-caller’s college program. 

“You need to do everything as an organization to make it an easier path without hurdles from where these guys have been successful to where they need to be successful in the pros,” Mueller explained about his thought process. “As an evaluator, you see the schemes these guys succeed in, why not make it easier on them if you believe in that system? It’s a giant learning curve as it is.” 

The man who currently runs the Mueller Football Advising firm previously listed Bailey Zappe as the No. 2 quarterback in his 2022 pre-draft rankings behind only Kenny Pickett. While the Pittsburgh Steelers used a first-round choice to acquire Pickett, the New England Patriots hope they walked away with the steal of the player-selection process by getting Zappe via a fourth-round pick. 

“The same things that he is doing now, he did in college,” Mueller said about Zappe’s early pro successes as he filled in for an injured Mac Jones. “The anticipation, the processing of information, he does a lot of it quickly. Those are critical. Physically, you are looking at a lot of similar skills to Jones.”

It’s worth noting that linking a first-year quarterback with a college coach isn’t a guaranteed recipe for success, as a plethora of college offensive systems would routinely struggle to produce points against pro defenses. Additionally, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has already relegated Zappe to backup duties behind Jones for at least Sunday’s game at the New York Jets even though the rookie won back-to-back starts before this past Monday’s humbling 33-14 loss to the Chicago Bears.