2012 NFL Draft Moves Prove New England Patriots Going All in with Tom Brady

The NFL draft is often equated to Christmas day for fans of the NFL.

If that's the case, Bill Belichick was playing the role of Santa Claus and left New England Patriots fans a Red Ryder BB gun under the tree on April 26.

In trading up to No. 21 to grab Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones, the Patriots did what they haven't done since 2003 when they moved up one selection to grab defensive lineman Ty Warren.

In trading up a second time to No. 25 to grab Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower, the Patriots did what many expected wouldn't be done before the apocalypse—though, admittedly, it's 2012, so that may not be far away.

What else may not be far away? The end of Tom Brady's career. The Patriots quarterback has already played for over a decade, and the window may be closing on his time in the NFL.

Yes, he looked on top of his game in 2011, and yes, he has said he wants to play until he's 40.

But that goal may not be realistic. When do the hands of time get their hands on Brady's passes?

It's time to maximize his window while it's still open.

While some might interpret "maximize the window" as surrounding Brady with talent, another good way to do that is to improve on defense and give Brady more opportunities on the field.

In ranking second in total offense and 31st in total defense in 2011, the Patriots needs were pretty cut-and-dry. While the Patriots have always ranked favorably as a scoring defense, they'd probably rather not get gashed for big yards week after week.

And with two big-time defensive additions, they're hoping to put an end to that.

What captivated me most about the two moves is that the Patriots felt strongly enough about not just one, but two prospects in this year's draft to trade up to get them. We know how much they value picks, and perhaps they didn't see the value in those third- and fourth-round picks this time around—the Patriots presently have no picks after the second round.

It's been years and years of adding value and trading down, and in that respect, the Patriots have built a sustainable football program by finding fits for their roster. With two moves, the Patriots put an end to that and turned the preconceived notions about their draft strategy upside down.

All things being equal, though, perhaps the value was in trading up; The Patriots may have been surprised to see Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower available where they were. 

But no matter what, the value of the Patriots may lie in the hands of their most valuable player: Tom Brady.

And with these two picks, it looks like the Patriots are bent on maximizing that value.

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