2020 NFL Draft: New England Patriots Draft Report Card
By Ian Higgins
After one of the most tumultuous offseasons in recent New England Patriots history, Bill Belichick needs to regain the winning formula of years past in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy, Duron Harmon, Elandon Roberts, Nate Ebner, Stephen Gostkowski. Very few teams lose so many players that have been integral pieces to an organization in a single offseason. There is another player you may know that is a product of the New England Patriots’ success … Tom Brady.
It is impossible for Bill Belichick to completely replace the talent lost this offseason in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he can find plenty of talent to fit their system and grow into possibly even better players.
Now that Tom Brady has left New England, Belichick is moving back to the original formula that brought the first three Super Bowls to Foxborough, defense first. With a young, inexpensive quarterback complemented by a top-tier defense, New England can look to shorten their rebuild period by investing in what will help a young quarterback (Jarrett Stidham) win now. O
ne of the first set of moves to show this was back to back 3-4 outside linebackers (Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings) who can fill any role from pass rush to coverage.
Other selections included top pick Kyle Dugger to bring youth to the back end of the defense, a pair of tight ends with different skills sets (reminiscent of drafting Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in 2010), and day three investments in the offensive line to eventually succeed those lost to free agency. The New England Patriots are getting young fast, and a number of these picks will be day one starters or rotational contributors for a team looking to rekindle a dynasty.