When Bill Belichick wants a player, the Patriots are going to pick him no matter what the team’s scouts say.
That appears to be what happened with both the Jamie Collins and Duron Harmon picks in the second and third round of the 2013 NFL draft. Both players were chosen despite disagreement from Patriots scouts, according to Tony Pauline of Draft Insider.
Pauline wrote that Patriots scouts saw Collins as a “last-day pick” and that the linebacker is a better fit in 3-4 sets than in the Patriots’ base 4-3. Collins will be getting more looks at linebacker than defensive end early in his New England career, according to Belichick. The team has the pieces in place to run more 3-4 sets this year, though.
The Patriots’ “brain trust” overruled scouts on the Harmon pick, according to Pauline. Pauline wrote the pick “had some in the Patriots’ war room scratching their heads.”
