Patriots and Belichick Dominate Draft with Eyes on the Future

With the amount of phone banter in the New England Patriots' war room, one might have confused Super Bowl head coach Bill Belichick for a stock broker.

To say that the Patriots made a lot of buzz with their parlaying of draft picks would be a gross understatement. The Patriots traded down, and eventually out of the first round of draft picks by wheeling and dealing, collecting several second-round draft picks for 2010 in the process.

My hunch tells me the Patriots are looking forward to an uncapped year in 2010, with several of their defensive all-stars expected to become salary cap casualties. The collection of second-round picks could mean that the Patriots would look into packaging any of these players with a second-round pick for one in the first round, or potentially simply packaging second-round picks to move up.

The draft-savvy Belichick showed that he is not as reactionary as most coaches in the NFL; he doesn't simply grab the best player available at a position where he has a need. He looks down the road at what may become a need in future years, i.e. his selection of Boston College DT Ron Brace in the second round. Although incumbent starter Vince Wilfork is a former Pro Bowl defensive tackle, his contract expires at the end of next season. Selecting Brace this year allows the Patriots to use him rotationally in packages that suit his skill set; he won't be asked to carry the load until next season.

CB Darius Butler, another 2^nd round choice out of UConn, will contribute occasionally as a nickel corner. He will have plenty of time to learn behind veteran CBs Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. His youthful quickness will provide the Patriots the team speed they lacked at times last season behind what was largely a veteran squad.

Thus is the strategy he utilized in this draft; practically none of the Patriots rookie selections will be expected to start. Their purpose at this point is to be a roleplayer, as is often the case in Belichick's complex offensive and defensive schemes. The team is already stacked with veterans who know the game, and they will be able to coach the rookies not only on their game, but on the specifics of the Patriots' schemes. Once they learn the nuances of the game, their role will substantially increase.

And wouldn't you know it - with all of the success garnered by late-round QBs Tom Brady and Matt Cassel over the years, the Patriots nabbed yet another 7^th-round quarterback, Julian Edelman.

Their collection of second-round picks for next season was potentially one of the smarter moves by Belichick; he won't have to worry about paying first-round money to these prospects, and next years draft figures to be much deeper than this one according to pundits Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay.

This strategy also gives the Patriots youth at many positions for years to come, which will give these players plenty of opportunities to play a part in the resurgence of the former Super Bowl champions who missed the playoffs last year.