Robert Kraft Rips Bill Belichick for Putting Patriots in Poor Position

With the Patriots season wrapping up on Sunday with a win over the Bills, all focus shifts towards finding a new head coach and the NFL Draft in April. The Patriots parted ways with Jerod Mayo after one dysfunctional season, and they hold the 4th pick in this year's draft after their win against Buffalo in the season finale.

One way to build a successful football team is through the draft. Hitting on draft picks, filling team needs and coaching drafted players to their full potential is crucial to success in any sport, but especially the NFL. Just ask the Broncos or Commanders, who have found their guys in Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels after selecting them in last year's draft. Both teams have rookie QBs and are playoff bound after exceeding expectations and surprising a lot of people this season. Meanwhile, the Patriots are fresh off a 4-13 season and already looking for their next head coach after a single season with Jerod Mayo.

Robert Kraft Rips Bill Belichick for Putting Patriots in Poor Position

In a recent development from Robert Kraft and Mark Daniels on X, Kraft showed some criticism toward Bill Belichick and his draft selections over the years. With Belichick taking the UNC head coaching job, the draft duties have fallen mainly on Eliot Wolf, as they did last year when the Patriots selected Drake Maye.

Under Belichick, the Patriots did have some successful draft picks since 2019, including players such as Christian Gonzalez, Christian Barmore, Kyle Dugger and Michael Onwenu. The bad certainly outweighed the good though, as Mac Jones and N'keal Harry were some of Belichick's worst, both 1st round picks that aren't on the roster anymore. Even during the Brady years, Belichick left much to be desired when in charge of drafting.

The Patriots have had a wide receiver problem over the past few years, and this can be seen as a self-inflicted wound. In 2019, N'keal Harry was the Patriots selection at the end of the 1st, as Deebo Samuel, AJ Brown and DK Metcalf all went in the 2nd round. In 2022, the Patriots selected Tyquan Thornton in the 2nd round, as George Pickens was taken 2 selections later by the Steelers. There are a million other hypotheticals that could be pointed out, but the Patriots had missed out on some serious talent under Belichick, one of the reasons the roster looks as it does today.

A successful draft in April is crucial to the Eliot Wolf and Patriots, which could set them up nicely for years to come. One thing we do know is the Patriots shouldn't be looking for a QB, instead they should look to protect Maye and get him some weapons on the outside. There are plenty of needs to address on this Patriots roster, and the selection with 4th pick could give fans some optimism (or doubts) heading into next season.

The 2025 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 24th-26th in Green Bay.

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