There once was a time where Bill Belichick couldn’t be touched. He and his golden boy quarterback were unstoppable on the field, winning three Super Bowls in four seasons. They made a run at perfection and broke records. Nobody in their right mind would question a Bill Belichick draft selection, because after all, Belichick must know something the rest of us don’t.
Super Bowl XLVI Shows the Importance of the NFL Draft
Things have changed, and the so called "Patriot Way" is no more. Tom Brady has masked the fact that Belichick is no longer a master of the NFL Draft. In fact, it's quite the opposite.
After the jump, we'll break down the success of the Giants and Patriots in recent drafts.
Up until 2006, the Patriots were still effective drafters. Vince Wilfork, Logan Mankins and Ty Warren were all first rounders, and the team managed to find Asante Samuel, Matt Cassel and Dan Koppen in the later rounds. And that was all between the years of 2003 and 2005. The drafts prior had also been successful.
But starting in 2006, things haven't gone well for the Patriots. The secondary was obviously a major weakness of New England's this season, but in the last six drafts, Belichick has spent 10 draft picks on defensive backs. With Devin McCourty suffering from a sophomore slump and Patrick Chung spending most of the season injured, New England did not get significant contribution from any of those 10 players this season.
The Patriots deserve credit for the two tight ends drafted in 2010. Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski have proven to be huge weapons for that offense. If Devin McCourty can get back on track, which is a big if, than the 2010 draft class has a chance to be a success. Three significant contributors would warrant that label.
2009 was a disaster. The team hit with Patrick Chung, but missed on just about every other pick. Meanwhile, Jerod Mayo was the only decent player to come out of the 2008 draft, and Stephen Gostkowski was the only useful asset to come out of either the 2006 or 2007 draft.
That’s not missing on a few picks or having an off year, that is absolutely terrible drafting.
The New York Giants, on the other hand, have been the model of consistency in the NFL Draft. Besides the homeruns of Eli Manning, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Snee and David Diehl in 2003 and 2004, the team landed three starters in 2005 with Brandon Jacobs, Corey Webster and Justin Tuck.
But to be fair, most of New England’s failures occurred in 2006 and beyond. But in that time the Giants have drafted and developed seven defensive starters and another five offensive starters.
While the Patriots have patched together aging veterans at wide receiver, the Giants have drafted Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham, while signing Victor Cruz right out of New England's backyard (UMass). The Patriots were swinging and missing on secondary players, while the G-Men found Kenny Phillips and Aaron Ross to go with the already drafted Corey Webster. They even added Prince Amukamara to the woodwork a season ago.
So, when the 2012 NFL Draft rolls around, don’t blindly support a Bil Belichick draft pick. In fact, if you are going to blindly support any team’s choices, the New York Giants seem to be a safe bet.
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