Analytics Show Patriots Got Better Draft Value In Trade With Chiefs

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots gained more draft capital by trading back in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night.

The Patriots sent their first overall selection, No. 21 overall, to the Kansas City Chiefs for picks No. 29, No. 94 and No. 121 — the last two of those picks come in the third and fourth round, respectively.

It’s hard to truly assess the trade until New England sees what it gets out of all three selections, but the early returns on the trade deem it a successful one for the Patriots.

According to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, the Patriots were the clear winner of the trade when he plugged the contents of the deal into the trade calculator, which evaluates the analytics of the draft picks that were exchanged.

By moving back eight slots and adding two more picks to their draft treasure chest, the Patriots ended up with a pick value gain of 42. All draft picks come with a pre-determined value and the Patriots came out on top in that regard as well, according to Fitzgerald.

In the Patriots original spot, the Chiefs used a selection to take a player that at times had been linked to the Patriots and was definitely a position of need for New England. Kansas City chose Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie at No. 21 overall.