Bill Belichick spent 24 seasons as the head coach of the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowls in the process. Not only was Belichick head coach, but he was also the de facto general manager of the club from 2001 to 2019 and had a large say in who the organization drafted.
Since exiting the organization at the end of last year, Belichick has been out of football, but has recently surfaced again after being named the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Tar Heels recently parted ways with former National Championship winning head coach, Mack Brown only to hitch themselves to Belichick.
Although Belichick is unproven at the college level, he has several accolades with the Patriots; some of which were mentioned above. Undoubtedly, Belichick will be using his success in the NFL as a toll on the recruiting trail.
With many players drafted by the Patriots that Belichick had a hand in since his arrival, this is a lot of players at every position that Belichick can use as a pitch to incoming recruits selling them on him being their key to being drafted into the NFL.
Here are Bill Belichick’s five best draft picks as head coach of the New England Patriots
5. Richard Seymour (DE, 2001)
The former Georgia Bulldog Richard Seymour was drafted in the first round be Belichick and won three Super Bowls with the Patriots between 2001-2008. Seymour totaled 359 tackles and 39 sacks in his eight seasons with the Patriots. He also was named first-team All-Pro three times from 2003-2005.
4. Nate Solder (OL, 2011)
This is probably one of the players that goes the most unnoticed that was a key component of the Patriots’ dynasty under Belichick. Solder was drafted off of a struggling Colorado Buffaloes program in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft and went on to win two Super Bowls as the starting left tackle.
The key addition of Solder protected quarterback Tom Brady’s blindside for seven years in New England. Solder
3. Vince Wilfork (DT, 2004)
Vince Wilfork is a mountain of a man drafted as a defensive tackle in 2004 by the Patriots. Wilfork starred at the University of Miami and continued his success in the NFL. Wilfork would 560 tackles in 13 seasons with the Patriots and is one of the most agile defensive tackles of all-time in the NFL.
Wilfork would make the Pro Bowl five times as a member of the Patriots and was a member of two Super Bowl teams with the club.
2. Rob Gronkowski (TE, 2010)
Despite being a tight end and not a receiver, Gronkowski was Tom Brady’s primary pass-catching weapon throughout their time together in New England. Gronkowski is one of the greatest tight ends of all-time and was not drafted until the second round. Belichick and Kraft had an eye for talent year-over-year and Gronkowski is a primary example.
Gronkowski’s big hands and six-foot-six-inch frame saw him catch 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns in nine seasons with the Patriots. He would make five Pro Bowl’s and was named All-Pro four times with the club.
Gronkowski won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, but would go onto Tampa with Brady to win another in 2021.
1. Tom Brady (QB, 2000)
Of course, Tom Brady is number one on the list. The greatest quarterback of all-time won seven Super Bowls in total, and six as the starting quarterback for the Patriots beginning in his rookie year after taking over for the injured Drew Bledsoe.
Brady would throw for 9,988 yards in his 20 years with the Patriots and is inarguably their best draft pick of the Belichick era, and all-time for the franchise. Even more impressively, Brady was not drafted until the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.