Daily Draft Digest: Patriots to receive haul of compensatory picks in 2021
By Cory Kinnan
It looks likely that the New England Patriots will once again receive a haul of compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL Draft after getting four picks this year
The 2021 NFL Draft is still a year away, but that does not stop anyone from talking about it. The New England Patriots were quite active in the 2020 NFL Draft in terms of making trades, moving up for the likes of pass rusher Joshua Uche and tight end Dalton Keene.
One reason the Patriots have had the ability to make moves on draft day is because head coach Bill Belichick has seemed to have cracked the formula to landing compensatory picks. Teams receive compensatory picks for losing key players in free agency, and failing to replace them with equivalent talent.
This offseason, Belichick has let older veterans such as Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton, and more walk to new teams in free agency. As a result, New England is in line to land a handful of additional picks in the 2021 NFL Draft in order to replace them.
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According to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, the Patriots could be in line to receive an additional third round pick and two fourth round picks in next year’s draft. This is only a prediction, as the formula has never been revealed (although many think they have cracked the code), but clearly Belichick has a beat on how to earn himself additional draft capital.
"“The formula is very straightforward here, with the Patriots losing five qualifiers and collecting two free agents with very modest contracts to cancel out the lower-end free agents. The contracts for Brady and Van Noy will clearly garner a third-round pick and a fourth-rounder, respectively, while Collins is likely to bring in a fourth.”"
The 2020 NFL Draft, just a week ago, the Patriots received a whopping four additional draft picks; two in the third round, and two in the sixth round. This afforded Belichick and the Patriots the luxury of being as mobile in the draft as they were a week ago.
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Belichick clearly has a key to success when it comes to parting ways with and acquiring talent to his team. With four picks this year, and the probability of adding three next year, the Patriots have an opportunity to keep their dynasty alive without Tom Brady.