Patriots: Best and worst draft choices, by round, in the Belichick era

Round 2

Best: Rob Gronkowski, TE (2010).

Honorable mention: Matt Light, OT (2001); Sebastian Vollmer, OT (2009); Patrick Chung, DB (2009).

The Pats traded up two spots to grab Gronkowski in one of the best draft-day moves in their history.

In the goofy yet secretly smart Gronkowski, Belichick chose a player who was deservedly named by ESPN as the “GOAT” among tight ends. Apparently, the Patriots should look for more players who pass out on the floor during their pre-draft visit and express love for SpongeBob; it might just be a sign of something.

The Patriots might also consider drafting a TE in the 2nd round again, as none of their numerous failures to draft a Gronk replacement occurred in this round.

Is there any chance the NFL will allow a re-do of the 2023 draft and the Pats trade up for Kincaid, Mayer, or LaPorta? Just an idea!

Worst: Chad Jackson, WR (2006).

Not-so-honorable mention: Bethel Johnson, WR (2003); Tavon Wilson, DB (2012); Aaron Dobson, WR (2013); Jordan Richards, DB (2015); Cyrus Jones, DB (2016); Duke Dawson, DB (2018); and Joejuan Williams, DB (2019).

The second round has not been good for the Patriots as it is filled with a litany of discarded defensive backs and wide receivers.

It’s difficult to choose the worst among them, but Chad Jackson wins the honor, given he was the 36th overall choice, the highest overall pick among all the horrid second-round selections. Adding insult to injury, the Patriots actually traded up for Jackson, giving up the 52nd and 75th overall picks to Green Bay.

Who did Green Bay select with the 52nd pick?

Well, Green Bay was stuck with choosing wide receiver Greg Jennings who only had 571 career receptions and played 7 seasons for the Packers. Jackson, on the other hand, managed to snag 14 receptions in his short 3-year career—two years with the Pats and one year under Coach Josh McDaniels with the Denver Broncos.