Patriots: History shows that Bill Belichick probably shouldn’t draft a quarterback
By Jerry Trotta
Given the standards they’re held to, the New England Patriots arguably have the most to gain and lose of any team in the league this offseason.
After all, they’re fresh off their worst season in two decades and former quarterback Tom Brady exacerbated that narrative by winning a championship in his first season with the Buccaneers.
Speaking of the QB position, the Patriots are clearly feeling to pressure to find a capable solution, as they’re reportedly exhausting all potential options both on the free agent and trade front, and that alone should instill confidence in fans.
As far as drafting a quarterback is concerned, it remains to be seen if Bill Belichick thinks he could land one of the top prospects at No. 15 overall.
The de facto GM is notorious for not trading up in drafts, and there’s no reason to think he’ll temporarily alter his philosophy this time around.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you that the Patriots would be better served not drafting a QB, recent history should do the trick, as they’ve selected the third-most gunslingers of any team since 2000, nearly all of whom flamed out in the NFL.
The #Patriots have drafted the third most QBs in the league since 2000 despite having the best quarterback in history playing for them during that span and Brady only missed games due to an injury in one season in his 20-year career.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 2, 2021
Nearly all of those players failed in the NFL pic.twitter.com/XQCKSgFLGH
Did anybody else almost vomit looking at that list? We fully understand the need to find a competent backup behind Brady, but the fact that the Patriots only hit on three of those 11 selections (Matt Cassel, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett) almost seems impossible.
That’s being generous, too, as Garoppolo is really the only member of that group who’s proven to be a reliable starter. Even that might be a stretch as rumors indicate the 49ers would move off of him this offseason if the opportunity presented itself. That speaks volumes when you consider he started for them in the Super Bowl just two years ago.
It’s worth noting that none of those picks came in the first round, and the Patriots have their highest selection in recent memory this year. However, that list alone is enough to strike fear into fans hearts with the draft a little over a month away.
The point of the tweet has little to do with how those QBs did and more with with the question of why draft 10 QBs after already having Brady instead of improving the team in other places such as receiver or otherwise? since the success rate for QBs drafted later than 1st is low.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 2, 2021
Relatively speaking, the latest mock drafts suggest the Patriots will have to trade up several picks if they have any hope of getting their hands on one of the top prospects.
When you consider their putrid history of drafting quarterbacks, however, you’ll come to the realization that they’d be better off holding serve and drafting somebody like Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, who’d be a dream fit in Belichick’s system, at No. 15 overall.
Let’s not forget the draft is a crap shoot. Regardless of how much film you have on a player, there’s no way to know how they’ll pan out in the NFL. With that in mind, the Patriots should probably find their next QB via trade or the free agent market, where they’d at least have a good idea of what they’re getting themselves into.
