Bill Belichick Traded All But One of His Original Picks Because of Course He Did
By Michael Luciano
The New England Patriots, even when the dynasty was operating at peak efficiency, have valued trading down and accumulating a volume of picks in the NFL Draft. What Bill Belichick and Co. did in the 2020 NFL Draft, however, borders on the absurd.
Belichick has traded away all but one of his picks in this draft, with a third-round selection that became Alabama pass rusher Anfernee Jennings being the only one of the 11 assigned to New England that he did not deal.
The Patriots 11 assigned picks:
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 25, 2020
Round 1: Traded
Round 2: Traded
Round 3: Anfernee Jennings
Round 3 (comp): Traded
Round 3 (comp): Traded
Round 4: Traded
Round 5: Traded
Round 6: Traded
Round 6 (comp): Traded
Round 6 (comp): Traded
Round 7: Traded
Vintage Bill Belichick.
The Patriots have decided to either load up on defense or take tight ends in the 2020 Draft. The first two selections made by New England were Lenoir-Rhyne safety Kyle Dugger and Michigan linebacker/pass rusher hybrid Josh Uche. On the offensive side of the ball, New England added UCLA tight end Devin Asiasi and Virginia Tech H-Back Dalton Keene.
? JOSH UCHE TO NEW ENGLAND! @_Uche35
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 25, 2020
The @Patriots have selected him with the No. 60 pick in the #NFLDraft #ProBlue
[Draft update presented by @meijer] pic.twitter.com/lJwC98QgSl
Belichick values depth and versatility above all else when it comes to roster construction, and his moves in the 2020 NFL Draft certainly confirm that. This strategy has worked for New England in the past, so why not continue to load up on picks in order to help the team move on in the post-Tom Brady era?