Bill Belichick Still Surprised Team Hall Of Famer Fell To Patriots
The Patriots selected Vince Wilfork with the No. 21 overall pick in 2004
Bill Belichick had his draft blunders during his historic tenure with the New England Patriots. Nonetheless, he also found players who became cornerstone pieces on championship teams.
This season, Belichick moves to a new seat for the draft after nearly 50 years in the war room. The 72-year-old will appear with “The Pat McAfee Show” crew as an analyst on draft night, as announced during an introductory appearance on the show on Wednesday.
Belichick gave a preview of his draft analysis while recalling several scenarios of his tenure with the Patriots, including the unpredictability of drafting late in the first round based on winning the previous Super Bowl.
“Every year is different and you really don’t know,” Belichick shared on the show on Wednesday. “When you’re picking at the end of the (first round of the) draft, … you tell me who’s going to be there and I can tell you what we’re going to do. You just really don’t know because there’s so many teams in front of you. It’s just impossible to predict.”
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That created several decisions for Belichick and New England’s brass throughout the championship era. Some instances warranted trading up. Some allowed the Patriots to stay put. Other times, the Patriots moved out of the first round all together. Each time, however, led to the example of a selection of an impact player for the Patriots.
“Did I ever think we would draft Vince Wilfork?” Belichick recalled. “I thought there was no chance he’d be on the board when we picked. I didn’t think (Dont’a) Hightower would be there. We traded up and got him. I didn’t think Chandler Jones would be there. We traded up and got him.”
Wilfork went on to win two championships with New England, giving the Patriots a true anchor of the defensive line to set the tone for the unit. Wilfork played in the later part of his New England tenure with Jones and Hightower, who the Patriots aggressively pursued in the first round of 2012.
On the other example, the Patriots stayed put for players such as offensive guard Logan Mankins, who went on to play nine seasons for New England. None of those scenarios were the same and came to be based on the flow of the draft in front of Belichick and the Patriots.
“Sometimes, you see somebody falling and you say, ‘OK, it’s worth it to trade up and get the guy,'” ,” Belichick explained. “Other times, you wait and see who slides through. … I think the fifth-year option is an issue at the end of the first round for the high-priced positions. Quarterback, which is what the (Baltimore) Ravens did when they took Lamar Jackson. They traded into our spot at No. 32 to take Jackson and got the fifth-year option on him. Cornerback, offensive tackle and maybe even pass-rushers.”
Belichick will watch from a new vantage point when the Patriots (likely) make a future-altering selection with the No. 3 overall pick when the NFL Draft begins in Detroit on April 25.
