Ranking the 5 best Patriots draft classes under Bill Belichick
Much has been made of Bill Belichick’s failures in the NFL draft — particularly in recent years. In fact, it is really the only main criticism on Belichick, widely considered the greatest head coach of all time. However, upon close examination, Belichick has about as good a record at drafting players as any other general manager in the league. With the 2022 NFL draft coming up in only two weeks, let’s take a look back at Belichick’s five best draft classes while he’s been at the helm of the New England Patriots.
For this list, I will not be including the last two drafts (2020 and 2021) as the players who were taken in them have not had much time to develop yet, so it would be hard to accurately quantify how good the classes are at this point. While I could spend 200 words raving about the first-year returns from quarterback Mac Jones, the reality is that the sample size is just too small from the last two drafts to make any sort of reasonable assessment of them right now.
The 2003 Draft Class
The Class:
Round 1: DE Ty Warren
Round 2: DB Eugene Wilson
Round 2: WR Bethel Johnson
Round 4: DT Dan Klecko
Round 4: DB Asante Samuel
Round 5: C Dan Koppen
Round 6: QB Kliff Kingsbury
Round 7: FB Spencer Nead
Round 7: LB Tully Banta-Cain
Round 7: DT Ethan Kelley
A lot of the early 2000s Belichick drafts may leave you scratching your head, but this isn’t one of them. Defensive end Ty Warren, the 13th overall pick, ended up still being a solid contributor on that bruising defensive line in his eight years with the Pats — even if he didn’t meet the lofty standards for most first-round picks. Belichick made this draft truly great with two mid-round selections in cornerback Asante Samuel and center Dan Koppen, both of whom were immediate contributors to the team. Bethel Johnson was also a terrific special teams returner. And maybe Kliff Kingsbury wasn’t a great quarterback, but he did turn into a good coach.
Also, remember Tully Banta-Cain? The seventh-round selection was a solid role player in the linebacking core when he left for a two-year stint in San Fransico. However, when he came back to the Pats in ‘09, he absolutely balled out, posting 10 sacks and 55 total tackles. Not bad for a guy who came to the team as a late-round flier.
The 2015 Draft Class
The Class:
Round 1: DT Malcolm Brown
Round 2: S Jordan Richards
Round 3: DE Geno Grissom
Round 4: DE Trey Flowers
Round 4: OG Tre’ Jackson
Round 4: OG Shaq Mason
Round 5: LS Joe Cardona
Round 6: LB Matthew Wells
Round 6: TE A.J. Derby
Round 7: CB Darryl Roberts
Round 7: LB Xzavier Dickson
This was a trenches draft, and I absolutely love it. Although Belichick may have reached a little bit with the first-round selection of defensive tackle Malcolm Brown, his selection of defensive end Trey Flowers in the third round rounded out a new, young, defensive line. Both players did end up leaving the Patriots once their rookie deals expired, but they were immediate playmakers on the team and contributed to a defensive line that also had Chandler Jones on it for the 2015 season.
Belichick went over to the other side of the line in the fourth round, selecting offensive lineman Shaq Mason, who became one of the top players at his position over the next few seasons. In the fifth round, Belichick went back to his military roots by selecting Navy long snapper Joe Cardona, who is also well-regarded around the league as being one of the best at his position. Although Belichick targeted some less-flashy positions, the Patriots made a bunch of good selections to fill those roles.
The 2009 Draft Class
The Class:
Round 2: DB Patrick Chung
Round 2: DT Ron Brace
Round 2: DB Darius Butler
Round 2: OT Sebastian Vollmer
Round 3: WR Brandon Tate
Round 3: LB Tyrone McKenzie
Round 4: OG Rich Ohrnberger
Round 5: OT George Bussey
Round 6: C Jake Ingram
Round 6: DT Myron Pryor
Round 7: WR Julian Edelman
Round 7: DT Darryl Richard
After having a few consecutive drafts that only produced one or two good players, Belichick hit big in the ‘09 draft. The Patriots made four (!!) selections in the second round, with two of them being defensive backs, Chung and Butler. Chung became a household name for New England, and played as a hybrid safety in his first four years with the team before leaving for the Philadephia Eagles, only to come back one season later and start at strong safety for the rest of his professional career. Butler, on the other hand, was only on the team for two years, but he still had a lengthy career around the league as a solid reserve option. Tackle Sebastian Vollmer, the last of their second-round picks, was one of the best pieces on the Patriots’ offensive line for the seven years he was in the league.
Although the third-round selection of wide receiver Brandon Tate may have been the notable offensive selection for the Pats in the immediate aftermath of the draft, a little-known seventh-round quarterback out of Kent State by the name of Julian Edelman ended up being a more long-term weapon for Tom Brady. After converting to wide receiver and making the 53-man roster as the punt returner over Wes Welker, Edelman eventually worked his way into a constant role on the offensive side of the ball and ended up replacing Welker as the starting slot receiver for 11 years until he retired.
The 2010 Draft Class
The Class:
Round 1: DB Devin McCourty
Round 2: TE Rob Gronkowski
Round 2: LB Jermaine Cunningham
Round 2: LB Brandon Spikes
Round 3: WR Taylor Price
Round 4: TE Aaron Hernandez
Round 5: P Zoltan Mesko
Round 6: C Ted Larson
Round 7: OT Thomas Welch
Round 7: DE Brandon Deaderick
Round 7: DT Kade Weston
Round 7: QB Zac Robinson
This draft was a great one for both sides of the ball. Belichick hit on the Pats’ first-round pick by selecting Rutgers defensive back Devin McCourty, and then hit again by picking tight end Rob Gronkowski in the second round. Belichick then selected linebacker Brandon Spikes in the third round, who, although didn’t have an incredibly long career, was a tackling machine, posting 286 combined tackles in his four years with the team.
This draft class may have produced some of the team’s most important players for a decade. But it’s also produced one of the most tragic stories in NFL history. Aaron Hernandez went to prison for murdering Odin Lloyd, and in prison, the former Patriots tight end died by suicide.
The 2000 Draft Class
The class:
Round 2: OT Adrian Klemm
Round 3: RB J.R. Redmond
Round 4: OT Greg Robinson-Randall
Round 5: TE Dave Stachelski
Round 5: DT Jeff Marriott
Round 6: S Antwan Harris
Round 6: QB Tom Brady
Round 6: DE David Nugent
Round 7: LB Casey Tisdale
Round 7: FB Patrick Pass
How could I not list the draft class that produced not only the greatest player in franchise history but also the greatest player of all time?
Funnily enough, Brady was the only good selection Belichick made during this draft. Only one other player from this class, seventh-round selection Patrick Pass, was still on the team four years later. Although the class as a whole was incredibly lackluster, the sixth-round selection of a little-known quarterback from Michigan makes up for the other poor selections.
This class gets the No. 1 ranking on the list because, to put it simply, the Patriots dynasty as we know it would have never happened if Belichick wasn’t so intrigued by that Brady kid.
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