Inside the New England Patriots Draft Room: Who Will Join the Super Bowl Champions
The New England Patriots may be one of the most secretive teams in football, but history tells us which players will be on the team’s 2017 NFL Draft board.
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have always bucked traditional thinking and remain steadfast in their approach to building a successful NFL roster. Just when you think you have “The Patriot Way” figured out, the team uncharacteristically goes on a shopping spree this offseason.
The additions of Brandin Cooks, Kony Ealy and Stephon Gilmore among others have cemented New England’s status as Super Bowl favorites. However, more work needs to be done in order to round out the 53-man roster. While many teams are rumored to be trying to acquire more picks in what is widely considered a deep draft class, the Patriots haven’t shied away from trading picks away. No, this isn’t Belichick going all in for one or two more Lombardi Trophies before walking into the sunset with Tom Brady by his side. This is the NFL’s best franchise over the past 15 years remaining one step ahead of the competition.
New England Patriots
So with just six picks in the 2017 NFL Draft, and none until the 72nd selection, how will the Patriots come away with the final pieces to what the team hopes will be another championship roster? The simple answer is to continue following the same philosophies that led the team to five Super Bowl wins.
If given a sneak peek at all 32 NFL team draft boards, all would vary slightly, but New England’s would be the outlier. The Patriots think of every prospect as a puzzle piece and that piece has to fit perfectly into their scheme and fill a hole on the roster. For that reason, the Patriots traditionally have a much smaller board than most. Heading into this year’s draft, Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio stated “In the end, we end up with 50-75 players that we would draft from top to bottom…I mean, it’s a small pool but that’s our process.”
The 50-75 players that make the final draft board is a closely-guarded secret, but an educated guess can be made by diving into the history of Belichick’s previous selections. Even when factoring in which prospects meet New England’s minimum thresholds from both a size and athleticism standpoint, the total comes to about 150. Medicals, interviews and specific skillsets will then come into play and result in the board of 150 being cut in half.
So which prospects eligible for the 2017 NFL Draft fit the mold? Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of which players could be future New England Patriots. The percentage listed by a player’s name is how high above average the prospect scored from a measurables and athleticism standpoint compared to past picks at the position in the Belichick era.