The Patriots May Have Finally Lost a Trade in Mohamed Sanu Deal With Falcons

Bill Belichick's Rutgers fetish appears to have cost him a premium draft pick, as Mohamed Sanu has quickly become a non-factor in the Patriots offense.

Sanu, a former Cincinnati Bengals draftee who was making a name for himself with the Atlanta Falcons over the last four seasons, was traded to New England for a second-round pick in the 2020 draft, and he's barely managed anything on offense as a Patriot.

Sanu has just 23 catches for 172 yards and one touchdown in seven games as a Patriot. Those numbers look even worse when you consider that 10 of those catches and 84 of those yards came in one game, which was a loss against the Baltimore Ravens. Excluding that, he hasn't topped three catches or 24 yards in any contest this season. Did we also mention he managed to run crucial third- and fourth-down routes short of the marker over the last few games?

Atlanta, meanwhile, is laughing all the way to the bank with a second-round pick to rebuild a broken roster.

Sanu should have been the acquisition that took New England's offense over the top late in the season, but his struggles getting acclimated in Josh McDaniels' offense should make Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff giddy that he managed to pilfer a high draft pick from Belichick's grasp.