Bob Kraft’s frank expose of the New England Patriots poor drafting over the past several years was a revelation.
Finally, he understands.
Mock drafts are fun, but as stated previously, they are pretty much worthless. And so are pro days in trying to handicap whom your team will pick. And in the past, that was certainly evident.
But with the recent groundbreaking admission by Robert Kraft concerning the Patriots draft failures of recent years (it goes back far longer than that, however) it will certainly be interesting to see how New England and Bill Belichick conduct themselves later this month.
The changes in the New England Patriots drafting we may see come 2021 NFL Draft
More from Chowder and Champions
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win
Kraft thinks change is in order, and if Bill Belichick and his new Director of Personnel, Dave Ziegler got the message, there’ll be some changes made. There should be.
Just don’t try to handicap who they’ll pick. Unless there’s a revolution in Foxborough, it will still be virtually impossible.
The bizarre Patriots draft strategy revealed by Mike Reiss of ESPN as a previous article explained is a good indication of why the Patriots past drafting was so ghastly. If the strategy is wrong, the results will be sorry. And the strategy was goofy.
It resulted in what it seems was the trading up of draft picks (almost to get rid of them?) to get one of the few players who fit the “Patriots’ profile”, or whatever they called it. Whatever this list was, it was bonkers.
The list evidently was so restrictive that out of 1,000 – maybe 1,200 available players, the Patriots, evidently running out of players who “qualified” even fairly early in the 2020 draft, prompting them to trade up and send out additional picks to secure two tight ends.
Combined they caught five passes. It’s time for a new system.
There are several changes that may eventuate from Kraft’s comment that the Patriots recent drafts left a lot to be desired. Here are three of them.
First The New England Patriots may trade up in the first round for a top young quarterback
Bob Kraft also may it perfectly clear that he thinks the Patriots need a new, young quarterback in this year’s draft. Kraft said to Tom Curran of nbcsports.com,
"“We have a situation where at this point in time we’re trying to do what the best thing for us is,” Kraft said, via Tom Curran of NBCSportsBoston.com. “Not sure Cam had proper weapons around him. Not sure Jarrett hasn’t really gotten a fair shot. . . . This isn’t something where you get algebraic formulas. Think of all the people who passed on Tom Brady. One way or another have to get that position solidified.”"
Clearly, Kraft is saying, get a top young arm to groom for the future. How to do that? The draft, of course. This may necessitate trading up big-time to get that one special quarterback whom you think will be that guy.
That may require Belichick and co. to do what they have very seldom done in the past, trade up (and in this case, trade-up and put very serious draft capital on the line) to get their man. Trey Lance of North Dakota State would be a very interesting target. Just sayin’.
Belichick in the past was usually more likely to trade down, including from the first round to accumulate more picks. One might logically ask why, since there weren’t many players who evidently could measure up to the Patriots’ standards anyway. Yet, they did so nevertheless.
This year, with what seems like an irritated Bob Kraft looking for answers and not more questions, maybe Belichick and his personnel staff under Dave Ziegler will take a different course and move up to get their man. Hope so.
Second, the New England Patriots expand their pool of possible draftees
No great revelation here. The past strategy was loopy and failed. Time for a new strategy, especially when the guy who writes the checks says he ain’t happy. Kraft wrote out a check for about $150M or so to cover free agency. Ouch! He has a right to expect more.
So, hopefully, the Patriots will employ a maximalist rather than a minimalist strategy in their evaluation of players. Meaning, understand that there are more than a handful of players who can play for the Patriots in the NFL draft. Just try to find the right ones.
This means that the foolishness of trading up to essentially dump draft picks is out the window and a logical, rational strategy of maybe trading up but only for an exceptional player is to be advised.
A guy like linebacker Grant Stuard of Houston, who knows, could be the next Tedy Bruschi. Take a flier on players like that in the 6th and 7th rounds. You never know.
Quantity is to be looked upon as an attribute, especially in the lower rounds. Draft more players and the likelihood of hitting on a few of them is higher than just drafting a few, wasting picks on them, and having them flop as in last year’s draft.
The Patriots’ path is clear in 2021, trade up to get the young quarterback (whatever it takes) and then draft the lower rounds for steals.
Third, The New England Patriots may use even more lower round picks to try to strike gold again
It has been suggested in these pages, somewhat tongue-in-cheek admittedly (I think), that the Patriots should trade top picks up for one key player or conversely, trade a slew of picks for a proven NFL player rather than waste more picks on higher round flops.
More from New England Patriots
- Former Patriot Stevan Ridley Put Kevin Hart in a Wheelchair
- 3 Patriots Who Can Clinch a Roster Spot in Final Preseason Game
- Patriots Get Win Over Division Rivals Before Season Even Begins
- New Massachusetts Sportsbook Promos: $450 Bonus to Bet on Your Patriots at Caesars + DraftKings
- Ezekiel Elliott Reveals 3 Reasons Why He Signed With Patriots
But, the caveat in that strategy would be this, be certain to accumulate picks in the 6th and 7th rounds as part of any transactions. Absolutely. One might ask, what the heck are you talking about? I’ll explain.
For most NFL teams, picks in those rounds are fliers, throw-away picks on a gamble. Useless and maybe even considered worthless. For the Patriots, however, not so much.
For some weird reason, the team has hit big on not only those lower-round picks but, of course, on undrafted free agents, as well. Cases in point: Tom Brady, 6th round; Julian Edelman: 7th round; and most recently, Michael Onwenu, 6th round.
For some reason. maybe because these players fell out of the range of the real “Patriots prospects”, they just took a flier based on someone’s recommendation and went with the flow. Whatever the rationale, the brilliance of these picks cannot be overstated. Obviously.
So, assuming the Patriots adopt a new, more rational, and more inclusive (that’s really the best description of the new draft strategy), then the accumulation of these lower picks and the use (not trading) of those picks is to be greatly advised.
New England seems to have a knack for finding gems in the very lowest rounds of the draft. So why not maximize that strategy and draft five or six or eight players in those rounds after trades. Maybe David Moore of Grambling State will be another of those finds for the Patriots.
Most teams dismiss them as useless. The Patriots use them as foundation stones of championships.
So that’s it. How the Patriots could use their newfound draft strategy (if Bob Kraft’s irritation over past draft failures is acknowledged) to their advantage. We’ll see.
The draft is a crapshoot. Don’t you love it?! I do. So, let’s see how the Patriots approach the draft later this month. Frankly, I can’t wait.
How do you think the Patriots will approach this year’s draft? I’d like to hear.