How the Patriots and Eagles zagged in recent drafts as the NFL zigged

After the usual storylines going into the 2018 Super Bowl — legacies, injuries, and the eternal struggle between man and greased pole — an element remains that helps to explain how the Eagles and Patriots reached this point: roster construction. Specifically, how the two teams have drafted over this last rookie contract cycle or over the last four drafts (and five first-round picks because of the team option for a fifth year) to best utilize youth at a relatively inexpensive price point, the thing that builds and sustains hard cap success.

A good amount has (rightfully) been made of Bill Belichick’s draft strategy and history (this from Bill Barnwell is excellent and thorough), but how does it compare to what the Eagles front office has done over time for second-year head coach Doug Pederson’s squad? And how does that compare to the rest of the league?

Let’s dive in and find out how they’ve made team building look so easy and also figure out who has the edge with players contributing to their 2018 season and the upcoming Super Bowl (if healthy).

*In “X/Y,” X represents the number of picks at that position group, Y the total picks in that category.

The Eagles have two big first-round winners — OT Lane Johnson (2013) and QB Carson Wentz (2016) — though Wentz came at a steep draft capital cost. If he maintains his All-Pro caliber, however, all will likely be forgotten soon. They also have two promising first-round contributors, Nelson Agholor (2015, 36 starts) and Derek Barnett (2017, 0 starts, pass rush specialist) to counteract their one first-round miss, edge-rusher Marcus Smith, who struggled to contribute consistently in Philly but has been a welcome addition in Seattle.

The Patriots have traded a first-rounder for a proven player (WR Brandin Cooks), traded out of the first round (2013, netting Logan Ryan, Jamie Collins, and LeGarrette Blount), and forfeited a first-round pick (Deflategate discipline), ending up with two defensive linemen, one of whom has been productive (Malcom Brown, 2015, 37 starts), while the other (Dominique Easley, 2014, three starts) was released due to a mix of injury and alleged off-field issues.

After years and years of valuing picks and taking advantage of the short-term thinking of lesser franchises, Belichick and the Patriots appear to, as a team perennially in win-now mode with a 40-year-old QB still performing at an elite level, now value higher-round picks as a means to acquire experienced NFL players.

With a minuscule sample size (seven total picks in 10 total drafts for the two teams), the only noticeable difference between the Eagles, Pats, and the rest of the NFL was that they skipped over LB and DB entirely in the first round. Granted, the league in general over that time also skipped over LBs specifically 95 percent in that span.

Current Roster Edge: Eagles, who added two cornerstone stars, only missing on one pick.

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Let’s go to Day 2 of the draft (2014-2017) when teams are known to snag potential first-round on-field value more affordably.

In the second and third rounds, the Patriots’ record has been uneven, though the highlights include 2016 third-round OG Joe Thuney, who’s been a stalwart on the left side of the Pats’ OL, and 2014 second-round QB Jimmy Garoppolo, worthwhile both as Tom Brady’s backup and as an attractive trade chip that eventually netted New England a second-round pick from San Francisco.

Beyond that, Belichick and the Patriots haven’t been able to develop consistent starters, be it for talent or injury reasons.

Similarly, picks the Eagles have made in the second and third rounds largely haven’t panned out, with the lone current highlight being 2015 third-round LB Jordan Hicks (injured for a good chunk of 2017, out for the Super Bowl), who’s been quite solid manning the middle of Philly’s excellent defense.

Outside of Hicks, the Eagles haven’t gotten a ton of productivity on Day 2: WRs Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff (2014 second- and third-rounders, respectively) are no longer with the team, though Matthews was pretty decent for stretches in Philadelphia before being traded for CB Ronald Darby (Super Bowl starter for Philly), CB Eric Rowe was traded before the 2016 season after likely not making into the defense’s two deep, OG Isaac Seumalo (2016 third round) disappointed in a starting role, and 2017 second-round CB Sidney Jones has only recently been activated after sitting out most of the year recovering from injury.

With a bigger sample size (16 picks), the most extreme thing the Pats and Eagles did in valuing positions is the Pats using these picks to build DL depth and the Eagles completely ignoring the defensive line. They also both valued DBs a little more than the rest of the NFL here and all but ignored LBs, drafting them at half the rate of the rest of the league.

Current Roster Edge: Patriots, slightly.

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And on to Day 3 picks!

On Day 3, where there isn’t necessarily an expectation to find a championship-caliber starter (or even contributor), the Patriots...nailed things with fourth-rounders. They start 2015 fourth-round C Shaq Mason, 2015 fourth-rounder DE Trey Flowers, 2014 fourth-round RB James White, and 2014 fourth-round OT Cameron Fleming. In addition, ILB Elandon Roberts (2016 sixth-rounder) has stuck at linebacker.

Things aren’t quite as well for the Eagles late, though. 2016 seventh-round DB Jalen Mills has been a steal, and the versatility of 2016 fifth-round OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai has been vital, but beyond a couple of stray plays, recent contributions from later-round Eagle draft picks have been few and far between.

League-wide, Philly and New England were less likely to take offense, much less likely to take offensive skill, and more likely to try and find defensive line depth on Day 3.

Current Roster Edge: Patriots, whose relatively inexpensive offensive line has allowed them to build elsewhere.

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Overall, the Eagles and Patriots have taken less offense (relying on free agency and unsigned rookies to fill in gaps there) and tend to value defensive linemen more than the rest of the league, either for depth or thinking they’ve found diamonds in the rough.

Obviously, both the Eagles and Patriots have been pretty adept at navigating the inexpensive, undrafted free agent market as well, but in terms of finding value throughout the draft, Philly and New England don’t just identify talent and value better than most. They do a better job of knowing themselves and making calculated trade risks and have figured out how to best weave in new talent to both win and weather the inevitable injuries and unforeseen losses.

Other than that, it’s easy!