NFL Draft: What Value Means to Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots

March 31, 2011   ·   Erik Frenz   ·   Jump to comments

The one word that draws the ire of New England Patriots fans around NFL Draft time is the one word that has led to the continued success of the team: "value".
Over the course of the 2011 NFL Draft, you will hear Mel Kiper and others talk about need picks vs. value picks. Patriots fans may be growing anxious with Belichick for failing to address the team's most dire needs in his undying quest for optimum value.
They may be wondering when a need will become so dire that it will usurp value altogether.
Don't get me wrong. If two players grade out relatively even, but one is at a position of less depth, that is the smarter move. If neither is, the smarter pick is the better player who's a better fit for the system.
That may seem like such an obvious statement, but if every NFL owner and GM shared that ideology, we wouldn't be treated to draft day surprises like Darius Heyward-Bey being drafted ahead of Michael Crabtree.
Let's get an in-depth example.
In 2008, ...

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