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New England Patriots: 3 ‘don’t draft’ suggestions for team in 2021

By Michael DeVito

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 08: J.C. Jackson #27 of the New England Patriots runs after intercepting a pass during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in the game at Gillette Stadium on December 08, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 08: J.C. Jackson #27 of the New England Patriots runs after intercepting a pass during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in the game at Gillette Stadium on December 08, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /
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New England Patriots
Malcolm Butler (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

The New England Patriots enter the 2021 draft with a squad full of new players, ostensibly better players, but the draft is still a key mechanism for improving a team for the next season.

As a Patriot’s draft observer of long-standing, very long-standing, it is important to point out for younger fans and readers how the Patriots have fared in the draft over the past 20 years.

3 ‘Don’t Draft’ suggestions for the New England Patriots in April

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That’s while Bill Belichick has been the key operator of the New England Patriots football team. The importance of this cannot be overestimated. If you draft well, you’ll do well. If you draft great, you’ll be great.

So, after a splashy free agency, spending lots of owner Bob Kraft’s money, what positions should Bill  Belichick avoid in the upcoming draft? Here are three.

First, the Patriots should not draft a defensive back in any of the first five rounds.

Other than Devin McCourty and Asante Samuel, the Patriots’ drafting of defensive backs anywhere in the draft has been abysmal. A good argument can be made that they should never draft a defensive back.

Instead, they have spent loads of top picks on many players who shall we shall kindly say, flopped. On the flip side, however, they have had significant success in signing undrafted free agent cornerbacks who have excelled.

Two, in particular, come to mind. First, is the hero of the Seattle Super Bowl, Malcolm Butler. Absent Butler’s great play in the second half generally, and his other-worldly play to win the game outright, the Patriots lose and only have five Super Bowl titles.

But Butler, undrafted and previously unheralded won the game and the day. In addition, currently on the squad is another terrific player in the same position.

That’s J.C. Jackson. While Butler was a one-play genius and a good player for New England, Jackson is beginning to look like a future All-Pro. Not Pro Bowler, that’s All-Pro, the Best of the Best.

Jackson is that good and should be signed to a long-term contract immediately.

So with these players in mind and others on the roster who may emerge this season like, Myles Bryant and D’Angelo Ross, there really is no pressing reason for New England to use (in their case waste) high picks on defensive backs.

They can find them in undrafted free agency. So, just do that and stay away from investing a high pick on any defensive back. It doesn’t make any sense.

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