Belichick builds champions in April

Belichick builds champions in April


Bill Belichick’s legacy as a drafter starts with Tom Brady as a sixth-round selection in 2000.

But it doesn’t end there.

The draft can accelerate a team’s building process if you know what you’re looking for. In April, Belichick has long been the smartest guy in the room. He knows exactly what he’s looking for.

Sure, Belichick found championship cornerstones in Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork and Dont’a Hightower in the first round, Deion Branch and Rob Gronkowski in the second round and Duron Harmon and Joe Thuney in the third.

Those are the premium rounds of a draft -- the easy rounds of the draft. Everyone should be able to draft well in the first three rounds because the names and talents are easily recognizable to scouts and fans alike. They are the All-Americas, the award winners and the players you see every Saturday in the fall on national television.

But it’s the traditional second day of the draft, Rounds 4 through 7, where the good drafters shine. Scouting departments have to dig a little deeper and project a little farther out in those rounds to find the gems. How you do in those rounds are what can make a good draft great.

[footballmaven.io]