The Patriots possess two first-round picks in the 2011 NFL draft, but according to ESPN.com's Mike Reiss, Bill Belichick's draft history indicates he's unlikely to deal either of the top picks this year.
New England acquired the Oakland Raiders' 2011 first-rounder in the Richard Seymour trade before the start of last season, but despite experts predicting a strong 2010 draft class, Belichick has shown a tendency to value future selections more than current picks.
Belichick has acquired established stars like Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Corey Dillon by trading draft picks. However, he has preferred to use current picks — not future picks — to deal for those veterans.
The 2009 draft provides an example of how Belichick conducts his draft business. The Patriots made two trades, one with the Baltimore Ravens and another with the Green Bay Packers, in the first round of last year's draft. Belichick did not see much value in the first round, so he moved out of the top round and used New England's — and later Baltimore's — first-rounders to acquire additional draft picks.
According to Reiss, the Patriots have made 16 trades in Belichick's tenure in which the team has traded a current year's pick for future picks.
Despite the team’s recent history, the draft is always full of surprises, and anything is possible. Who knows? Perhaps the Patriots could move up in the first round to acquire Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh or acquire talented Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall by giving up one of their 2011 first-round picks.
Patriots fans will have to wait until April 22 to see what Belichick’s wheeling and dealing produces.
