Bill Belichick loves to maximize the potential of the draft. So, it was no surprise when it was reported that the New England Patriots were trading out of the first round of last night’s NFL draft.
In the trade with the Chargers that sent No. 23 overall to Los Angeles, New England was able to pick up a second (No. 37) and a third-round pick (No. 71). Prior to this trade, the Patriots had a gap between 23 and 87 where they would not have any selections.
Now, New England will have the opportunity to target some players in the second and third rounds. Apparently, the player that the team was interested in wasn’t someone who would’ve gone in the first round. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on the broadcast that “they can take the same player at 37 that they would have taken at 23.”
Belichick gets to move down, acquire more capital, and still get his guy. That seems like a win-win for him.
Patriots fans are used to the team trading back. They do it every year in one round or another. They’ve traded out of the first round for other draft picks twice under Belichick’s leadership. Now seems like a good time to remember just what happened in those instances.
2009 NFL Draft
In 2009, the Patriots held the 23rd overall pick following a pretty successful year with Matt Cassell at quarterback. They traded the 23rd pick to the Baltimore Ravens for the 26th and 162nd pick. Those picks were both traded again to Green Bay in exchange for No. 41, No. 73, and No. 83.
No. 41 was used to draft Darius Butler, a cornerback out of UConn. Butler played in 29 games over two seasons with New England before he was waived.
The 83rd pick became wide receiver and returner Brandon Tate. Tate’s fate in New England was similar to Butler’s. He played in only 18 games and was waived before the start of his third season.
No. 73 was traded again, this time to the Jaguars for their 2010 2nd round pick (No.44) and No. 232 in 2009.
The 232nd was used to select wide receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman has been in New England ever since, becoming Tom Brady’s top receiver and performing as one of the best wideouts in the NFL, especially in the postseason.
And, in the 2010 Draft, the Patriots traded their acquired 44th overall pick, along with the 190th pick, to Oakland for No. 42. With the 42nd pick in the 2010 draft, the New England Patriots selected Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski went out to be arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history.
In total, from trading their original first-round pick and a sixth-round pick, the Patriots ended up with Darius Butler, Brandon Tate, Julian Edelman, and Rob Gronkowski. All-in-all that’s a pretty decent return.
2013 NFL Draft
New England held the 29th pick in the 2013 Draft after losing to Baltimore in the AFC Championship game. The Patriots flipped the 29th pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for No. 52, No. 83, No. 102, and No. 229.
With the 52nd pick, the Patriots selected Jamie Collins out of Southern Miss. Collins spent 4.5 seasons with New England over two stints, recording 17.5 sacks and eight interceptions. In 2019, he had an incredible start to the year where he was considered an early Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
New England used the No. 83 pick on cornerback Logan Ryan from Rutgers. Ryan’s impact was felt immediately, as he finished tied for the most interceptions in the AFC in his rookie season. Ryan played out his rookie contract, totaling 190 tackles, 41 passes defended, and 13 interceptions, before signing with the Titans.
The third pick from the trade, No. 83, became wide receiver Josh Boyce. Boyce played in only 10 games with the Patriots over two seasons. He recorded nine receptions for 121 yards. He never played another NFL game after he was waived prior to the 2015 season.
No. 229, the final pick from the Vikings, was subsequently traded, along with Jeff Demps (who never played a single snap for New England), to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for running back LeGarrette Blount. Blount had a pretty successful Patriots career, rushing for 2,917 yards and 34 touchdowns in four seasons. That included a franchise-record 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016.
So, the Patriots traded the 29th overall pick and a special teamer who never stepped foot on the field for Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan, Josh Boyce, and LeGarrette Blount. That trade got New England three starters for multiple seasons, so it worked out well.
Back to the present
It won’t be known if the Patriots are winners or losers of this trade for years to come. The Chargers drafted linebacker Kenneth Murray with the 23rd pick that the Patriots traded them. Murray could end up being a Hall of Famer. He could also end up out of the league in three years. The Patriots could continue to trade the picks they acquired, and they could still be reaping the benefits of this trade 10 years from now. It all remains to be seen.
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