Shaun Wade's tumultuous football journey has met another turn.
The Ravens have agreed to trade the 2021 fifth-round pick to the Patriots for a 2022 seventh-round selection and a 2023 fifth-rounder, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. The Pats later confirmed the deal.
Wade was once seen as a likely first-round pick following a stellar 2019 season at Ohio State, but returned to Columbus for another run at a national title in 2020. His decision proved to cost him plenty of money, as Wade struggled throughout the shortened campaign, losing the luster that once made scouts eager to select him in the next draft.
Wade went from a first-round prospect to a Day 3 pick of the Ravens, a selection that appeared savvy at the time, as Wade wouldn't be relied upon to play significant snaps and could transition to the NFL game while given ample time to improve. Instead, that time has apparently been drastically shortened, with Baltimore looking to move Wade elsewhere to collect a return on its low-level investment.
New England has been known to take prospects who haven't fit with the teams that selected them, and Wade would be no different. Once an excellent defender in coverage, Wade's struggles in his most recent college action indicate a player who needs technique work and proper tutelage to reach his potential, which had been considered to be rather high not too long ago.
Sensing a chance to capitalize, the Patriots are ready to try to help Wade become an effective NFL corner.