The most important NFL Draft of Bill Belichick’s career came in 2000, when the second-chance coach trying to rebuild the New England Patriots managed, despite lacking a first-round pick, to select a few contributing talents (J.R. Redmond, Greg Randell) while famously uncovering Tom Brady with the 199th selection.
If not for that draft — or that Brady pick — we probably aren’t talking about Belichick as a NFL head coach all these years later.
Thursday Belichick will oversee his 24th draft in Foxborough and the stakes are as high as they were in the beginning.