With the New England Patriots, they’ve always made do with who they had at the wide receiver position.
While the team found success with the receivers they had, the only big-name player at wideout they ever had was Randy Moss.
However, he wasn’t a product of the NFL Draft for the Patriots.
That’s the one area that head coach Bill Belichick has failed at during his career with New England.
But he has a cover story about why he couldn’t draft great young receivers for the team.
Making The Playoffs Always Gave New England Low Value Picks
Most of the best players go early in the first round of the NFL Draft.
However, New England hasn’t had a top-ten draft pick since 2008.
#Patriots now locked into the 15th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. Last time they had a top-15 pick was in 2008 when New England selected Jerod Mayo 10th overall.
— Shawn Spencer (@Spencer_NFL) January 4, 2021
They made a trade with the New Orleans Saints to get that pick.
But even though they rarely have high overall first-round picks, they never use the picks they have to get great receivers.
The only time Belichick has gotten a receiver in the first round was in 2019.
However, that pick turned into a bust for them, as they would trade him to Chicago this year.
The #Bears have officially traded for WR N’Keal Harry, the team announced.
— Usayd (@usaydkoshul) July 13, 2022
So how is it that Belichick is failing at getting good fits at receiver in the NFL Draft?
Belichick Is A Defensive Guru, Leaving Him Victim To Bad Picks At Receiver
Belichick has been all about defense, as he’s widely known for the defense he coached in New York with the Giants back in the 1980s.
You have to go back to 1977 to find a time where he had anything to do with receivers.
It was that year he was the receivers coach for the Detroit Lions, a promotion from his assistant special teams job with the team.
At 25, he took over and oversaw a lackluster Lions receiving corps that season.
Belichick was the WR Coach for the ‘77 Lions, 6-8 record, finished 2nd to last in receiving yards, top receiver had 40 catches. Shocked he was able to stay in the league 😏🤦♂️
— WEL (@welombardi) January 5, 2019
He would leap on to the Broncos and then Giants team as a defensive coach for those teams.
Since then, his career has shown people he’s a guru of the defense, and not much of an offensive mind.
However, this has proven to become a weakness for him, as his drafting of receivers rarely finds success with the team.
You have to go back years to find the last successful receiver he’s gotten in the NFL Draft.
Julian Edelman Was Belichick’s Only Great Receiver From The NFL Draft
During the 2009 NFL Draft, the Patriots made a great pick in the seventh round to get wide receiver Julian Edelman.
It was the best late-round pick for the team since getting Tom Brady.
It’s also the only great receiver that Belichick has got from the NFL Draft.
While some might point to Rob Gronkowski, he was a tight end, not a receiver.
So this means that over the 22 years he’s been with England, only one pick stands out at receiver.
Every other pick at that position has been a bust for the team.
Belichick will need to go back to the drawing board if he wants to make a change with that streak.
