Bill Belichick had a typical draft night in the war room.

The New England Patriots traded their No. 23 pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for a second-round pick (No. 37) and a third-round pick (No. 71). Patriots fans were upset with this move because they waited all night for ultimately no reward — but Belichick knew what he was doing.

Here’s our grade for the trade: A

The talent level dropped off about halfway through the first round and the Patriots didn’t find anyone worth picking. The team originally didn’t have a second-round pick, giving them a huge gap between pick No. 23 and pick No. 87. The Patriots could easily pick the same player they wanted at No. 23 with the No. 37 pick and they also gain an early third-round pick.

Schefter on the Patriots trade: "They can take the same player at 37 that they would have taken at 23."

— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) April 24, 2020

They did the same thing with Jamie Collins in 2013.

When the Patriots trade down, it is because they feel they can get a similarly-graded player at the spot they moved to, while picking up an additional asset.

One example: In 2013, they likely would have taken Jamie Collins at 29. Moved to 52, got Collins … and then some.

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) April 24, 2020

The Patriots will get the fifth pick on Day 2 and there’s plenty of talent still remaining on the board. Some of those players include S Xavier McKinney, DE A.J. Espenesa, DE Yetur Gross-Matos, LB Zack Baun and DT Ross Blacklock.

New England has a laundry list of needs this offseason, so they need all the picks they can get. The highest positions of need include quarterback, linebacker, tight end, defensive tackle and kicker. There’s talent in the second round that could provide the Patriots with a starter at any of these positions — including a solid group of tight ends.

The Patriots weren’t worried about making the flashy move, and this patient decision should prove to be worth it at the end of Day 2.

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