The New England Patriots receiver position wasn’t stellar in 2020. In fact, their struggles seemed to frustrate Tom Brady, who ultimately left the team for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason.
And though the 2020 NFL Draft offered one of the deepest receiving crops with a record 13 wideouts in the top two rounds, New England was not one of the teams that made a pick at the position (in any round).
Does that indicates he has faith in the youngsters currently on the roster?
“I’m sure all our young players will improve in year two. Got a first-round pick on N’Keal last year, second round pick on [Mohamed] Sanu. That was really off this draft,” Belichick said. “Obviously have Julian [Edelman] and a number of other young players. I think that will be a very good group. There’s a lot of different ways and times to build your team. The draft is one of them. As I mentioned, whether it’s Sanu or free agents signing like [Damiere] Byrd, whatever the case might be, there’s multiple ways to build your roster, and this is one of them.”
Belichick’s suggestion is that, essentially, the Patriots did take a wideout in this year’s draft. It’s Sanu. Maybe New England didn’t make a pick at receiver, but the team surrendered one.
And that trade came after New England made a first-round investment in Harry. With so much capital going into the position over the last two seasons, the Patriots seem content to see how Sanu and Harry improve over the coming months. Surely, 2019 was a rough season for both catchers. But Sanu was dealing with an ankle injury, which required surgery, and Harry was dealing with normal rookie issues (playbook and press coverage). Perhaps they can turn things around in 2020.
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