Patriots completely changing draft process could be huge for Belichick’s future

How long has it been since New England Patriots fans felt this confident following the conclusion of the NFL Draft? If you take a look at some of their recent drafting history, the pressure was on them to dominate the proceedings, and that’s precisely what they did.

While the Patriots netted incredible value with seemingly all of their selections, the success (or lack thereof) of the incoming class will hinge on the production of their first three picks, especially quarterback Mac Jones, who was taken No. 15 overall.

Though de facto GM Bill Belichick deserves credit for the turnout, the results should also be credited to the Patriots for completely altering their approach.

Essentially, they decided to give more scouts and front office members a bigger voice in the evaluation process.

That news was leaked about three weeks before draft night and fans viewed it as a positive indictor, given Belichick’s reluctance in terms of listening to varying opinions.

Well, the early returns suggest this was the right call and it could be huge for the 69-year-old moving forward assuming he doesn’t waver from this collaborative approach.

https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1391800475289333771

The Patriots changing their draft approach could be huge for Bill Belichick moving forward.

In his weekly column for Sports Illustrated, insider Albert Breer provided some insight on how many voices were being heard inside the Patriots’ war room during this year’s draft.

"“I’m not sure if it’s permanent or not,” Breer wrote. “But I do know this year was a whole lot different, with assistant director of player personnel Dave Ziegler, scouting exec Eliot Wolf and national scout Matt Groh moving into more prominent roles in the aftermath of Nick Caserio’s departure for Houston.”"

Perhaps the most telling part of Breer’s story was the way he described the turmoil inside the Patriots’ front office in the past when Belichick was overseeing proceedings. Essentially, the longtime general manager would ignore and isolate his scouts and talent evaluators.

"“Long story short, plenty of evaluators on that side let their contracts expire, then bolted over the last few offseasons at least in part because there was frustration over the lack of involvement in the draft process,” Breer continued, “and the feeling that Belichick’s own experiences with players and his connections in college coaching too often would trump the information his scouts were giving him.”"

The moral of the story? Even all-time greats have flaws, and it’s clear that Belichick’s greatest weakness was the lack of trust he placed in anybody but himself as he aged. However, this scoop makes it seem like the six-time champ has finally admitted he can’t do everything on his own.

It’s one thing to be an exceptional leader of men, one of the greatest defensive minds in the history of the sport and someone who’s able to live up to ridiculously high expectations year in and year out for two decades, but to also kill the draft every year? Nobody’s capable of doing all that.

If Belichick is as intent on listening to his front office as this story indicates, he could focus most of his energy on coaching. Not that he has room a lot of room for improvement in that department, but he’ll need to be more constructive than ever with so many newcomers joining the team.

Here’s a fundamental breakdown of the Patriots’ new approach: let the scouts and talent evaluators identify touted prospects (like Jones, Christian Barmore and Ronnie Perkins) and let arguably the greatest coach in NFL history do the rest on the coaching front.

If that image doesn’t get Patriots fans excited for the future, then nothing will.

Patriots: Bill Belichick changing approach ahead of crucial NFL Draft

Patriots fans will love hearing that general manager Bill Belichick is reportedly operating differently ahead of this month's draft.