The Patriots had opportunities to land so-called impactful players, according to the draftnik community, up and down this weekend’s draft, and they almost universally passed. Instead, they selected players with positive traits that they think, obviously, will translate into contributing to their team concept. It’s very much on-brand for the Patriots and Bill Belichick. Their track record over the past 20 years certainly is a testament to the success of that approach. But some of their rivals decided to go the other way. Teams like the Ravens, Bills and Dolphins took their swings at bigger names in this draft and executed their plans. No one is saying one approach is better than the other. You’d be a fool to call this Patriots draft, the first of the post-Tom Brady era, a failure. You’d be equally as foolish to say the Ravens, Bills and Dolphins knocked it out of the park and are on their way to supplanting the Patriots. No one knows anything. But it’s fair to say that this draft, perhaps more than any other, will be a great referendum three years down the road, when we know which players succeeded or failed. Because there were some pivotal moments when the teams diverged. There will be a lot of scoreboard-watching off of this draft. Some of the pivotal decisions that will be monitored: First round Patriots trade out of No. 23, passing on, among others, LBs Kenneth Murray and Patrick Queen, C Cesar Ruiz, QB Jordan Love, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Ravens draft Queen at 28. Dolphins draft CB Noah Igbinoghene at 30. Chiefs draft Edwards-Helaire at 32. Discussion: Murray will be watched closely because he went in the Patriots’ spot to the Chargers. New England traded down, in part, because it used a second-round pick on Mohamed Sanu. … Queen will be more of a direct comp because he’s playing for the Ravens, and also since Patriots safety Kyle Dugger is similar size as a box player. … If David Andrews is not successful in his comeback from health issues and Ruiz is an instant starter on a good Saints team, that would be interesting. … If the Patriots have to defend the Chiefs in the postseason and Edwards-Helaire is a weapon, that will be remembered. Second round Patriots draft S Kyle Dugger 37th overall and pass on DE Yetur Gross-Matos (Panthers), TE Cole Kmet (Bears), WR/TE Chase Claypool (Steelers). They also take DE Josh Uche 60th overall, passing on OLB Julian Okwara (Lions) Ravens draft RB J.K. Dobbins. Bills draft DE A.J. Espenesa. Dolphins draft DT Raekwon Davis. Discussion: The Patriots passed on Gross-Matos and Epenesa — at a position they obviously wanted to address by taking Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings later — to go with a box safety where they currently have numbers. They’ll see Epenesa twice a year with Buffalo. … Adding Dobbins to the Ravens’ backfield could make them even tougher to defend. … Davis has the ideal size and scheme fit (Alabama) for the Patriots’ system and Brian Flores gobbled him up. … Safeties Grant Delpit and Jeremy Chinn also went in the round. … So did receivers Van Jefferson and Denzel Mims, and QB Jalen Hurts. Not so much worried about Hurts, but Jefferson and Mims could hit, or bust. … Matt Patricia is in Detroit and will have Okwara in the same spot as Uche. Third round Patriots draft DE Anfernee Jennings 87th overall, TE Devin Asiasi 91st and trade up for TE Dalton Keene (101st). Patriots passed on OLB Jonathan Greenard (Texans, same scheme), WR Devin Duvernay (Ravens), OLB Alex Highsmith (Steelers), TE Adam Trautman (Saints), TE Albert Okwuegbunam (Broncos). Ravens draft WR Devin Duvernay 92nd right after the Asiasi pick, ILB Malk Harrison 98th. Discussion: The Patriots’ selections, especially the TEs, will be compared to Duverany, Trautman and Okwuegbunam. Trautman was a player most expected to land with the Patriots and they passed. He joins Ruiz with the Saints in what could be another explosive offense. Fourth round Patriots didn’t have a pick in this round after trading two fourth-round picks to draft Keene. Taken after 125 and 129: QB James Morgan (Jets), S K’Von Wallace (Eagles), WR Gabriel Davis (Bills), TE Colby Parkinson (Seahawks). Ravens drafted OG Ben Bredeson 143rd. Bills drafted WR Gabriel Davis 128th. Discussion: For the price of Keene, the Patriots could have had Bredeson and Parkinson/Davis. … Baltimore is looking for a replacement for Marshal Yanda at guard and Bredeson could be a key pick for them. … Patriots, who did not draft a receiver, will see David twice a season. Fifth round Patriots take the first kicker in the draft, unheralded Justin Rohrwasser from Marshall at 159. They passed on C Nick Harris (Browns), WR Quintez Cephus (Lions), QB Jake Fromm (Bills). Ravens draft DT Broderick Washington 170th. Bills take Fromm. Discussion: Obviously this all hinges on Rohrwasser. If he follows in the Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski lineage, then the Patriots knocked it out of the park. If he’s not the answer, there will be all sorts of second-guessing regardless of what anyone else does. … Ravens got interior line help, which the Patriots didn’t draft. Sixth and seventh rounds Patriots traded up to draft OG Michael Onewnu at 182, took OT Justin Herron at 195, ILB Cassh Maluia at 204, and C Dustin Woodard in the 7th. Passed on QB Jake Luton (Jaguars), OT Jon Runyan (Packers), WR James Proche (Ravens), WR Isaiah Hodgins (Bills). Ravens draft WR James Prosch, and safety Geno Stone in the 7th. Bills draft WR Isaiah Hodgins. Dolphins draft QB/WR Malcolm Perry out of Navy in seventh round. Discussion: Prosch was being talked a lot as a possible slot player for the Patriots and he ends up going to the Ravens while the Patriots drafted two backup linemen and a special teams linebacker. Obviously that will be closely watched, and if Hodgins does anything in the division in Buffalo. … Perry was thought to be an athlete fit for the Patriots but he was grabbed by Flores. You can’t judge a draft at least until the players have three years to prove themselves in the NFL. So no one should be drawing any conclusions right now. But what we can say is the Ravens, especially under new general manager Eric DeCosta, the Bills and Dolphins certainly feel like their on the come against the reigning AFC power, the Patriots. We’re not saying the Patriots are slipping, but there’s little debate the other teams have improved their outlooks the past three seasons. There’s also no debate the Patriots are headed off into a new era, with Brady now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. Will things change? Are the other teams ascending while the Patriots, finally, after two decades become just another team? Impossible to say. But it’s likely this draft, in particular, will go a long way toward answering that question in the coming years. Bill Belichick either just set a course for himself to sail off on a high note in the final years of his career, or he’ll be watching other teams — some very close rivals — surge past him at the finish line. As the saying goes, In Bill We Trust. I really hope these picks pan out for the Patriots because this was one of the stranger drafts I've seen from them in a while.
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