The most important NFL Draft of Bill Belichick’s career came in 2000, when the second-chance head 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 Randall) 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 an NFL head coach all these years later.
On Thursday, Belichick will oversee his 24th draft in Foxborough and the stakes are as high as they were in the beginning.