It’s no secret that the New England Patriots have not had much success when it has come to drafting over the past couple of seasons. Nevertheless, that does not seem to bother head coach Bill Belichick.
When you take a look at some of the names that have been drafted over the past couple of years, the list is a bit underwhelming. Cyrus Jones was taken in the second round. Antonio Garcia was taken in the third round, Duke Dawson was taken in the second round. While the jury is still out on some of last year’s draft picks, it’s safe to say that New England has had more draft misses then hits as of late. Sony Michel, N’Keal Harry and Joejuan Williams, in particular, are trending in the direction of busts.
Nevertheless, Belichick pointed to success over the last 20 years, and thinks that the sustained success has proven to be more valuable.
“I’d say the most important thing to me is winning games,” he said. “I am not going to apologize for our record over the last 20 years. I’ve seen a lot worse.
“Ultimately, we try and put the best team on the field that we can to be competitive and I don’t really see that changing. Whoever those players are or aren’t, that’s the responsibility I feel to the team is the competition plays itself out and the better players play, whoever they are.”
It’s uncommon for Belichick, a coach who says he’s ever-focused on the present, to reference his past successes. The coach is known for saying he’s on to the next game or the next year when it is convenient for him — often rejecting questions about the past. And yet when asked about the present, he now references the past. It’s incongruous.
It is easy to see both sides of the argument in terms of both sustained success and missed draft picks. It is safe to say we know which side Belichick is on.
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