Best and worst draft picks during the Bill Belichick era
With the NFL draft tonight it is a great time to reminisce on the drafts of the past. Since Bill Belichick joined the Patriots no franchise has had more success than the Pats, and that comes with a lot of successful picks in the draft. Despite all of the success over the past years, there have definitely been a few hiccups in past drafts.
Now is as good of a time as ever to look back on some of the great and miserable draft picks in the Belichick era.
The Worst:
No. 5 Cyrus Jones, 2nd round, 2016
An athletic defensive back out of the University of Alabama seems like the perfect fit for the Patriots. Going from Nick Saban to Bill Belichick is a dream come true for defensive players but unfortunately things didn’t work out well for Cyrus Jones. At worse it was thought that Jones could contribute as a special teams player in the NFL but he even failed to do that and his time with the Patriots was over sooner than everyone hoped.
No. 4 Ras-I Dowling, 2nd round, 2011
Another bust at the defensive back position, Dowling was the first pick in the 2nd round but only played in nine games over two seasons for the Patriots. Making this pick even worse is a rumour that the Patriots wanted to draft Richard Sherman with this pick.
No. 3 Adrian Klemm, 2nd round, 2000
The very first pick of the Bill Belichick era did not go as planned. Klemm was injury ridden as a player, which led to him only making 10 starts in his career.
No. 2 N’Keal Harry, 1st round, 2019
It’s never good when a 1st round pick is wasted, especially when it is at a position that your team definitely needs help with. That is exactly what happened with N’Keal Harry, who never panned out and it seems like his career in the NFL might be over. What makes this pick hurt even more is the receivers picked after Harry in the 2019 draft. Those receivers include: Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf, and Terry Mclaurin.
No.1 Chad Jackson, 2nd round, 2006
Anytime a player only plays 14 games with the team that drafts him that player is going to be viewed as a disappointment and Chad Jackson is no different. Only collecting 13 catches for 152 yards with the Patriots, Chad Jackson takes the spot as the worst draft pick in the Belichick era.
The Best:
No. 5 Logan Mankins, 1st round, 2005
When you select a player with the first round, a guy like Logan Mankins is exactly what you dream of. Mankins played 8 season with the Patriots, and earned 7 pro bowl selections, 6 All-Pros, and earned himself a spot on the 2010s All-Decade Team.
No. 4 Richard Seymour, 1st round, 2001
Seymour was another spectacular draft pick by the Patriots. Seymour ended his Patriots career with 3 Super Bowl championships, 7 pro bowl selections, 4 All-Pros, and a spot on the 2000s All-Decade Team.
No. 3 Julian Edelman, 7th round, 2009
It’s not very often that a Super Bowl MVP is the 3rd best draft pick for a franchise but that just points to the success of the Patriots in the Bill Belichick era. A 7th round draft pick who started as a special teams player who developed into one of Tom Brady’s most trusted offensive weapons. From a 7th round pick to one of the greatest playoff performers in NFL history, Julian Edelman turned in a great career highlighted by 3 Super Bowl victories and a Super Bowl MVP.
No. 2 Rob Gronkowski, 2nd round, 2010
For most franchises a player like Gronkowski would be the easy best draft pick, but for the Patriots Gronk is the second best draft pick. The greatest Tight End of all time, Gronkowski put together quite the resume in a Patriots uniform. 3 Super Bowl Championships with the Patriots, 5 pro bowl selections, 4 All-Pros, 2011 touchdown receptions leader, 2010s All-Decade Team, NFL 100th anniversary All-Time team.
No. 1 Tom Brady, 6th round, 2000
This one is as obvious as it gets. Tom Brady would be the number one selection for every franchise in the NFL, but thankfully it was the Patriots that drafted him. 6 Super Bowl championships, 4 Super Bowl MVPs, 3 NFL MVPs, 5 All-Pros, 14 pro bowls, 2 NFL offensive player of the years, 4 time passing TD leader, 3 time passing yards leader, NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, NFL 100th anniversary All-Time team, and the greatest QB of all time, and the greatest NFL player of all time.