Definitely. Coaching will make him better if he is still coachable. A 2nd or 3rd seems more reasonable to me. Especially for a team that wants to move on and is desperate for a pick in exchange. I really dont want the Pats to be that team that caves.
I agree with this. The Patriots with Belichick have only had 8 picks in the top 25 of the draft (in TWENTY years), and at least two of those were acquired via trades. The eight players they've picked 25 or better were:
6 - Richard Seymour (natural pick)
10 - Jerod Mayo (acquired via trade-down the year before)
17 - Nate Solder (acquired via Seymour trade)
19 - Ty Warren (Natural pick I think? Or small trade up)
21 - Vince Wilfork (Natural pick)
21 - Chandler Jones (trade up)
23 - Isaiah Wynn (Trade, can't remember which one)
25 - D'onta Hightower (trade up)
The WORST player you can pick from that list is Wynn, but only because he hasn't put together a full healthy season. That's what you're giving up in exchange for a 33 year old QB who isn't a sure thing. I'm fine with taking a flyer on Stafford, but not for #15.
EDIT: Added where I think the picks came from originally (my memory could be off, so feel free to correct me). But it seems like they've only had THREE natural top 25 picks in the Belichick era. The rest they had to trade for, or trade up into. They also may have had some that they traded OUT of that I don't remember, but I feel like most of their trades out of the first round came towards the end (trading out of 27 and selecting McCourty, for example).