New England Patriots: Belichick Could Have Drafted Steelers Mike Wallace

This is probably something that a lot of people across the NFL are not aware of—but the New England Patriots could have Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace on their roster right now.

After taking a look at New England's draft history a couple days ago, I noticed one interesting storyline: the Patriots passed on Wallace. 

So who exactly did the New England Patriots draft instead of the Pro Bowl wide receiver? Brandon Tate—when you think Bill Belichick's recent draft history couldn't get any worse, it just has. 

In the 2009 NFL draft the Patriots sat with the 19th pick in the third-round and the Ole Miss product was still on the board—but no, the Patriots ended up with Tate, who is no longer on the roster.

Tate spent two seasons with New England and was primarily a return man. Granted, Tate had a decent 2010 season as he returned two kicks back for a touchdown but he caught only 24 passes for 432 yards and three touchdowns as the team's third wide receiver. 

So how poorly does Tate match up with Wallace?

Well for starters, Wallace had a solid rookie season but 2010 was his breakout year. Wallace snagged 60 passes for a phenomenal 1,257 yards and scored 10 touchdowns while averaging 21.0 yards per-reception—Wallace certainly emerged as one of the NFL's top deep threats last season with Pittsburgh.

So far this season, Wallace has not just been a deep threat but he's developed into quite the well-rounded wide receiver that could be perfect in Tom Brady's arsenal. 

Entering Week 8, Wallace has recorded 36 receptions for 730 yards and five scores—compare that to Chad Ochocinco's nine receptions for 136 yards and zero touchdowns. 

Wouldn't it be nice to have Wallace in a Patriots uniform?

Granted, the Patriots are definitely fine without Wallace, but it's just interesting and rather alarming to know that Belichick and New England's draft team could have selected him but choose to pick Tate. 

As the Patriots prepare to visit the Steelers this weekend and we watch Wallace snagging passes out of the air for major chunks of yardage, just keep in mind that Belichick decided to pass on him and that he could be catching passes and blazing down the sidelines in a Patriots uniform rather than a Steelers one.