While the New England Patriots were without their first round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft due to the ridiculous (and somehow still on-going) “Deflategate” punishment , it did not keep them from making some interesting moves, grab some intriguing prospects, and a couple of their usual head-scratching picks. While the Patriots have a particular plan and draft strategy each season, their innovative and close-lipped ways often leave traditional draft analysts scratching their heads.
Go back to any prior season and the draft pundits are stumped by the moves New England makes. In 2009 it was second round draft pick tackle Sebastian Vollmer drawing the scorn of the television and print draft geniuses; in 2010 trading up to choose tight end Rob Gronkowski in was considered a huge reach as his injury history raised numerous red flags; in the 2011 NFL Draft the front office was eviscerated in print for wasting second and third round draft picks on a pair of running backs (Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley).