Bill Belichick was asked Friday morning why his New England Patriots recently have been unable to turn high draft picks into starting-caliber players.
The longtime coach responded with a metaphorical gesture toward the six Super Bowl banners that hang over Gillette Stadium.
“I’d say the most important thing to me is winning games,” Belichick said. “I’m not going to apologize for our record over the last 20 years. I’ve seen a lot worse. So ultimately, we try to put the best team on the field that we can to be competitive, and I don’t really see that changing.
“So whoever those players are or aren’t, that’s the responsibility I feel to the team. The competition plays itself out, and the better players play, whoever they are.”
The Patriots’ on-field success over the last two decades is undeniable, and many of the players Belichick drafted in the early rounds from 2011 to 2013 became franchise cornerstones.
But while the Patriots continue to find talent in the mid-to-late rounds (Joe Thuney, James White, Shaq Mason, Trey Flowers, Mike Onwenu) and have been one of the NFL’s best at unearthing undrafted gems (David Andrews, Malcolm Butler, J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones, Adam Butler), the majority of their early picks have not panned out in recent years.
Of the 10 Patriots players drafted in the first two rounds from 2014 to 2019, six no longer are with the team, and just one (left tackle Isaiah Wynn) can be considered an unquestioned hit. Sony Michel, Joejuan Williams and N’Keal Harry have time to change that narrative but thus far have not lived up to their draft slots, despite Michel’s strong rookie season in 2018.
It’s too early to judge the Patriots’ 2020 draft class — especially since it was not afforded a full preseason this summer — but only Onwenu, a sixth-round offensive lineman, was able to carve out a significant role during the first half of the season. Top pick Kyle Dugger impressed early but has missed time due to injury, and fellow Day 2 selections Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene have made only minor contributions, with Uche, Asiasi and Keene all spending time on injured reserve.
This dearth of young, affordable contributors, coupled with the salary cap issues Belichick has referenced on multiple occasions, have hamstrung the Patriots from a roster construction standpoint. Lacking the talent and depth they had in previous seasons, they currently sit at 3-5, on pace for their worst finish since 2000.
Asked whether he has “any idea why you’ve had a harder time getting consistent production and development from the guys that you’ve selected in the draft,” Belichick paused for 13 seconds before saying every player the Patriots bring in must compete for a job.
“Well, I’d say — look, any time you bring a player onto your team, you put him into a role or a situation that you think fits him,” Belichick said. “Sometimes you have to modify that a little bit as you get to know the player, and then you work with him to try to develop that. He competes with other players at whatever position it is or whatever role it is, and ultimately, you choose — or we choose, I choose — the best player out of that competition.
“So that’s really the process. I don’t know how else to answer the question. Obviously, each player’s different. Each player competes with different players. Positions are different. So I don’t know there’s a general answer to that.”
The Patriots are scheduled to host the 6-2 Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
