2011 NFL Draft: Do Not Expect Bill Belichick and the Patriots To Stay Put

Bill Belichick has often earned the ire of New England Patriots fans for his propensity to trade down in the draft.

For months, fans study the draft and grow attached to whomever it is they feel is the perfect prospect for their team. When a head coach, owner and franchise earn the reputation of trading down, it makes it look as though they're not willing to go "all in" for a Super Bowl win.

But what most don't realize is that it's hard to go wrong by simply picking the best player available, whomever that may be.

Over the past few years, the Patriots have had their eye on a prospect that they were able to trade down to acquire: In 2008, that player was Jerod Mayo, whom the Patriots traded down from No. 7 to No. 10 and were still able to acquire.

The other, of course, was Devin McCourty. The Pats moved down five total spots from No. 22 to No. 27 and still nabbed him after several players who didn't contribute nearly as much as he did.

At least this year, with two first-round picks, we can be fairly certain they will take someone, unlike in 2009 when they traded out of the first round.

But to Belichick, trading down isn't about settling for less. It's about collecting value by adding more picks and still getting the guy he wants.

He even said that the Patriots were ready to draft McCourty with the 22nd pick, but traded down and were still able to land him at No. 27.

“The way the board was coming down, we felt like he would be the player with the best value,’’ Belichick said after drafting McCourty in April of 2010.

“We drafted the player we felt was the best fit for our football team—that’s the way it will always be.’’

It's easy to become enamored with that "perfect prospect," but it's not about who the Patriots draft or when. There are a few important things that Patriots fans need to remember.

The first is that the Patriots know what their needs are. They did a very good job of filling most of those needs in last year's draft.

Now, with six picks in the first three rounds, they're set up to fill the rest of those needs.

The second is that the Patriots will come away with a few talented players, at least capable of contributing.

Another is that the Combine numbers, stats and all those numbers don't mean anything. The Patriots want winners, and they want football nerds. Live, breathe and eat football needs to accurately describe whomever it is the Patriots draft.

On a side note, it's worth mentioning that the pundits Todd McShay and Mel Kiper both believe there to be only 23 or 24 true first-round prospects in this draft, so there is a higher likelihood that the Patriots will trade down with either their 28th or 33rd pick.

But all that draft strategy can be saved for another piece.

Even if the Patriots draft someone we never expected, it's important to remember that they've done this before.