Patriots’ draft failures have resulted in a roster thin on young talent
Overall analysis
Bill Belichick has drawn plenty of criticism for his draft results. He has gone through cycles of strong work (2001-2004; 2010-2014) followed by periods of poor returns (2005-2008; 2015-2019).
With Tom Brady’s free agency looming, the entire construction of the team remains in the balance. If Brady’s back at a deal north of $30 million, that will leave a lot less room to re-sign veterans like Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, and Devin McCourty.
If he leaves, does that mean Stidham is the guy? Or do they trade for a veteran and dip into the draft again?
Veterans like Pat Chung and Jason McCourty are on their last legs. Ditto for Julian Edelman and Marcus Cannon.
Next. Let's take a deeper look at the Patriots' 2019 draft class. dark
With limited cap space, an aging core, and several high-profile free agents, the onus is on Belichick and Caserio to turn back the clock and start a new cycle of strong drafting.
Oh, and they’ll have to do that without a second-round pick, which they traded for Mohamed Sanu this past year.
The Patriots aren’t on the clock yet, but time is ticking on this team’s Super Bowl window.