The team selects Louisiana State University’s Danny Etling with a seventh-round draft pick, 219th overall, in this year’s NFL draft.

Glen Farley The Enterprise @GFarley_ent

FOXBORO – The Patriots found their last quarterback of the future at pick No. 199 in the year 2000.

If they found their next quarterback of the future on Saturday, he’ll have been an even longer shot.

With the 219th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Patriots chose Danny Etling, making the Louisiana State University signal caller the first of their three picks in the seventh round.

“Takes care of the ball, smart, pretty accurate thrower,” Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said. “There’s some good qualities and traits that we think we can work with and develop and he played against good people on a weekly basis.”

At the very least, Etling talks a good game.

“I’m just going to make sure that I always lead the offense,” Etling said during a conference call with the New England media. “I understand that I’m the CEO when I’m out there on the field and I’m able to move the chains, get the offense in the right play, be active with the football, continue to improve always and just making sure that some way, somehow I’m always doing my job and whatever my job is that I do it to the best of my abililty. I think that’s all you have to do as a quarterback.”

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Etling spent two years at Purdue, transferring to LSU in 2015 after losing his starting job. He started the last 23 games of his career with the Tigers, posting a won-loss record of 16-7, throwing for 4,586 yards and 27 touchdowns with seven interceptions while completing 59.7 percent of his passes.

When all was said and done, the Patriots had selected nine players and set a franchise record by making eight draft-day trades.

While they drafted a young quarterback – finally – to put on the roster with the 40-year-old Brady and the 32-year-old Brian Hoyer, a team whose defense sure seemed to be in dire need, had chosen more offensive (five) than defensive (four) players.

The Patriots Draft Class of 2018:

• First round, 23rd overall – Georgia offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn

• First round, 31st overall – Georgia running back Sony Michel

• Second round, 56th overall – Florida cornerback Duke Dawson

• Fifth round, 143rd overall – Purdue linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley

• Sixth round, 178th overall – Arizona State linebacker Christian Sam

• Sixth round, 210th overall – Miami wide receiver Braxton Berrios

• Seventh round, 219th overall – Louisiana State University quarterback Danny Etling

• Seventh round, 243rd overall – Western Carolina cornerback Keion Crossen

• Seventh round, 250th overall – Florida State tight end Ryan Izzo

“The team building is an ongoing process,” Caserio said at the conclusion of the draft. “There’s no template, there’s no book that tells you we’ll do this and this is what’s going to happen. You just try to be prepared, take all the information that we have and try to make the best decision for the organization possible.”

Picking up where they left off on Friday (when they made four deals), immediately resetting the tone, the Patriots traded their first scheduled pick on Saturday, No. 105 overall (the fifth pick of the fourth round), to Cleveland for the 114th and 178th selections (sixth round). A short time later, they shipped No. 114 to Detroit for a third-round choice in 2019.

The Patriots actually used No. 178, selecting Bentley, a run stuffer at the inside linebacker position (he appears to be a threat to third-year man Elandon Roberts) who prides himself in the physical aspect of the game with the first of the six picks they used on the day.

“I would describe myself as definitely a physical football player,” said Bentley. “I would say that’s a thing that a linebacker must have.”

Caserio stressed that a long day that concluded with another five draft picks being added did not bring an end to the team-building process which now continues with the signing of undrafted free agents.

“Team building is a fluid process,” said Caserio, “so there’s a lot of moving parts and we’re going to continue to do what we feel is best for our football team and just try to put the team together for the 2018 season.”