{"id":64354,"date":"2021-04-02T20:56:40","date_gmt":"2021-04-03T01:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=64354"},"modified":"2021-08-30T07:01:56","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T07:01:56","slug":"patriots-mailbag-dissecting-robert-krafts-comments-about-pats-recent-drafts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=64354","title":{"rendered":"Patriots Mailbag: Dissecting Robert Kraft’s Comments About Pats’ Recent Drafts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft rarely makes himself available to the media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This week, one of those occasions occurred when Kraft held a conference call following the virtual owners’ meetings where the league finalized a 17-game regular-season schedule in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kraft\u2019s post-owners meetings remarks are customary, but his words were unique following a 7-9 season that he described as \u201chorrible\u201d to witness from the owners’ box.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a rare public critique of his football operations, Kraft took aim at the Patriots\u2019 recent draft record and was skeptical of their free-agent spending spree.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Pro Football Focus, the Patriots rank 24th out of 32 teams in value-added through the draft since 2017 weighted for draft positioning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There were a few contributors, such as 2018 first-rounders Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel, 2019 third-rounders Chase Winovich and Damien Harris, and 2020 rookies Michael Onwenu, Kyle Dugger, and Josh Uche look promising. But unless the 2020 class produces them, the Patriots lack blue-chippers in recent drafts that you build around.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, if you want to have a good, consistent winning football team, you can\u2019t do it in free agency. You have to do it through the draft because that\u2019s when you\u2019re able to get people of great talent, whether it\u2019s Willie McGinest or Tom Brady, you get them at a price where you can build the team and be competitive,\u201d Kraft said. \u201cOnce they get to their [second] contract, if they\u2019re superstars, you can only balance so many of them. Really, the teams who draft well are the ones who will be consistently good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t feel like we\u2019ve done the greatest job [drafting] the last few years and I really hope and believe I\u2019ve seen a different approach this year,\u201d he continued.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The final words of Kraft\u2019s critique of the Patriots\u2019 recent team-building approach were the most telling; the team, in Kraft\u2019s view, is going about things differently in this year\u2019s draft cycle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We can point to a few key differences on the scouting trail as Bill Belichick sent his top scouts to the Senior Bowl, which Belichick usually attends. Similarly, national scout Matt Groh and consultant Elliot Wolf took in Pro Days for top quarterbacks Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance, not Belichick himself or offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe Belichick wanted to keep the other 31 teams off the Patriots\u2019 scent by staying away from certain prospects the team is high on, or perhaps he\u2019s giving more power to his scouts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After a few years of subpar drafting, Belichick might be taking a back seat to get fresh opinions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the scouting changes are notable, the biggest difference this year is that former Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio is now the Houston Texans’ general manager.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caserio had the loudest voice in the draft room other than Belichick\u2019s over the last decade, and it\u2019s impossible to decipher whose picks were more Caserio\u2019s guys versus Belichick\u2019s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, it\u2019s noteworthy that the Patriots let Caserio leave this time with the roster in flux after trying to block his departure at every turn in the past. The Pats didn’t have contractual control of Caserio this time around, but both sides were ready for Caserio to take the next step in his career and move on from New England.<\/span><\/p>\n

There were also murmurs among those in the building that Caserio and Belichick didn\u2019t always see eye-to-eye in the draft. Belichick usually got his way, hence why Caserio wanted more control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Patriots are filling the void left by Caserio with multiple people. Assistant Director of Player Personnel Dave Ziegler is leading the scouting department along with Wolf and Groh, while former Pats defensive coordinator Matt Patricia (contracts) is taking on some of Caserio’s responsibilities as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The information you get about Caserio\u2019s departure is hearsay, as is usually the case with these things, but the feeling is there weren\u2019t a whole of tears, and some even welcomed the change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kraft\u2019s assertions that the Patriots made changes to improve upon recent struggles in the draft should be music to Pats\u2019 fans’ ears, and we are already seeing those changes come to light.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now the biggest question remains: will those changes carry over to the draft selections themselves? We’ll see later this month.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below, we\u2019ll answer a dozen or so of your questions for this week\u2019s mailbag. As always, thanks to everyone that asked questions and continue to ask questions every week. We have other opportunities to ask questions on our Patriots Beat podcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays:<\/span><\/p>\n

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What's the most you'd give up to trade up to get each of the top QBs?<\/p>\n

— Chourico Suave (@ChouricoS) April 1, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n