The New England Patriots traded out of the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Here are three first-round talents they booted on.
Bill Belichick trading back in the NFL draft for more picks shouldn’t surprise New England Patriots fans.
That doesn’t mean that many weren’t disappointed when the team traded the No. 23 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Los Angeles Chargers for the No. 37 overall pick and the No. 71 overall pick.
With some very talented players left entering Round 2 of the draft, this will probably end up being a smart move by Belichick who now have five selections in the top 100.
After seeing both Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski taking their Hall-of-Fame talents to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, trading out of the first round doesn’t sit well with fans who are looking for something to be excited about going into the 2020 NFL season, but it doesn’t mean they won’t come out winners when it is all said in done.
With some noteworthy talent still left who could fill needs for the New England Patriots, obtaining some more draft capital give the team some flexibility according to director of player personnel Nick Caserio.
"“We will look at what is left and kind of recalibrate, see if we want to move around a little bit,” Caserio said, as transcribed by WEEI. “We certainly have the ammunition and flexibility to do so.”"
Caerio is hinting at more trades, but one has to think that if their player is available at No. 37 as they are forecasting, then they will definitely make that selection. The question is will they find away to obtain another second-round pick? They certainly have the draft capital and a trade asset in offensive lineman Joe Thuney to get that done.
Three notable players left who the team has been linked to with the No. 23 pick are tight end Cole Kmet, safety Xavier McKinney and edge rusher A.J. Epensea. Selecting any one (or two) of those players would take the sting out of trading out of the first round, but of course we have to take a look at what the team passed up.
Here are three players the New England Patriots could’ve and should’ve drafted with that No. 23 pick.
Brandon Aiyuk No. 25 overall
There was probably no way Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots were drafting a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft for the second consecutive year, but not many fans would’ve been upset if they took Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk at No. 23.
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Yes, a former teammate of 2019 first round pick N’Keal Harry who would’ve been a nice addition to the wide receivers group, a position that is still of need for the Patriots.
With prospects like Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman and Denzel Mims still available, not selecting Brandon Aiyuk will probably not pan out to be that big of a deal, but given how much the San Francisco 49ers valued him, one has to wonder just how good of a pro he will be.
Given his ability to stretch the field and how hard he is to tackle, Aiyuk would’ve been the type of playmaker Tom Brady typically falls fond of…well…if Tom Brady was still in a Patriots’ uniform.
Will the New England Patriots regret passing on a 6-foot-1, 206-pound wide receiver with tremendous skills after the catch?
Well, that depends on what the team does with the myriad of picks they have going into Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Jordan Love QB No. 26 overall
As it turned out, the New England Patriots wouldn’t have had to trade up for the services of Utah State product Jordan Love.
In fact, he ended up going three spots after where the Patriots would’ve selected at No. 23, which means either the team wasn’t really series about Love, the quarterback they really wanted didn’t slip in the draft like a Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert or the quarterback they really want is still on the board.
Of course, it’s possible the team is not looking to draft a quarterback at all.
For those lobbying for Jalen Hurts, let’s hope that is not the case.
As far as passing on Jordan Love goes, he is a quarterback talent who has been slotted to go as high as the early teens in the first round. Standing at 6-foot-4, 224 pounds and a big arm, Love would’ve been a nice size quarterback for the Patriots who could’ve put some pressure on Jarrett Stidham.
Instead, he gets to play behind Aaron Rodgers in what was the surprise move of the night in the 2020 NFL Draft.
If the Patriots really loved Love, they had their shot.
Let’s hope Bill Belichick didn’t pass on another franchise quarterback who could be to the Green Bay Packers who Patrick Mahomes is to the Kansa City Chiefs or even Lamar Jackson is to the Baltimore Ravens.
Kenneth Murray LB No. 23 overall
The selection many felt the New England Patriots should’ve taken at No. 23 was actually selected in that spot by the team who traded up for the pick.
With both Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts departing to the Miami Dolphins and Jamie Collins going to the Detroit Lions, the Patriots are in need of the linebacker depth and Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray would’ve been a nice player for Bill Belichick’s defense.
A bit undersized, Murray is a hybrid linebacker with good speed who is not only a tackling machine, but a player with elite range from sideline to sideline who would be great picking up running backs and tight ends in the passing game.
There are some good linebackers left like Wisconsin’s Zach Baun, but it feels like Bill Belichick may have missed an opportunity with Kenneth Murray that the Los Angeles Chargers will now benefit from.
With 13 picks going into Day 2 and Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots will have many opportunities to fill their needs at tight end, receiver, linebacker, quarterback and in the defensive backfield, but it’s going to be hard to look back at this draft and think of these three players they passed on.
Unless Belichick finds some real gems in the middle rounds, it’s going to be tough to not think about what they would’ve had in Brandon Aiyuk, Jordan Love and Kenneth Murray.
In Bill we trust.