Bill Belichick on Patriots' Recent Draft Struggles: 'I've Certainly Seen Worse'

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick downplayed the Pats' recent lack of success in NFL draft picks contributing.

According to WBZ's Michael Hurley, Belichick didn't appear to be overly pleased with the line of questioning from Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston on Friday:

Per ESPN's Mike Reiss, Belichick added: "My focus has been on the Ravens. Right now, drafting scorecard, which I understand you want to write about that, which is great—but really trying to focus on getting ready for the Ravens. So I think I'll leave my attention on that."

Belichick and the Patriots are off to a disappointing 3-5 start this season, and they will have a tough challenge on their hands Sunday night when they host the 6-2 Baltimore Ravens.

While strong drafting was the bedrock of New England's success for two decades and helped produce 17 AFC East titles and six Super Bowl wins, there is no question that young players have made less of an impact for the Pats in recent years.

New England made 10 picks in the 2020 NFL draft, and most of them have had little or no impact on the season. 

Injuries have been a major culprit, as second-round pick Josh Uche has missed all but two games, and a pair of third-round tight ends—Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene—are on injured reserve.

Even beyond injuries, though, rookies who were expected to play a big role in the Patriots' success haven't. Second-round pick Kyle Dugger has just 17 tackles, and third-round pick Anfernee Jennings has made only 11 stops.

The most successful draft pick to this point has been sixth-round guard Michael Onwenu, who has started all eight games primarily due to injuries along the offensive line.

Even last year's draft class largely hasn't done much. First-rounder N'Keal Harry has been limited to 13 games over the past two seasons due to injury and has just 31 receptions for 277 yards and three touchdowns in those contests.

Second-round cornerback Joejuan Williams has played sparingly as well and is looking more and more like a potential bust.

Third-round pick Chase Winovich has shown flashes with eight sacks in 24 career games, and running back Damien Harris has been one of the Pats' few bright spots this season with 350 rushing yards in five games.

The Patriots' past two draft classes aren't completely devoid of talent, but observers have become so used to rookies and second-year players making significant contributions to the team over the years that it is jarring when most of them don't.

Many things have contributed to New England's lack of success this season, including the departure of quarterback Tom Brady and the struggles of his replacement, Cam Newton.

The failure of young players to make their presence felt is also part of it, and if the Patriots are going to avoid falling into a rebuild in the coming years, their upcoming draft picks will need to fit in much better and more quickly than most of the recent ones have.