A Near-Complete List Of College Players That Bill Belichick Has Scouted This Month
BOSTON (CBS) -- NFL Draft season is in full swing. Though the draft itself won't take place for another month, personnel men around the country are putting in the hard work that's required to build their draft boards.
Unsurprisingly, Bill Belichick has been a fixture at a number of pro days in recent weeks. The Patriots' head coach seems to cherish the opportunity to get on the field and see some of these prospects up close and personal, and he's never hesitant to run a drill or two to get a feel for how certain players might pick up on certain tasks.
Bill's been zooming all over the country, and it's been difficult to keep track. So here's a list of everyone Bill's taken a close look at over the past few weeks.
Georgia Linebacker Roquan Smith
???? @RoquanSmith1 scores a Belichick smile! ???? pic.twitter.com/rThLz9ejF5
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) March 21, 2018
Pretty cool moment for Roquan Smith and UGA linebackers, getting personal attention from Bill Belichick at Pro Day. pic.twitter.com/aSjhTYrH6j
— Chip Towers AJC (@ctowersajc) March 21, 2018
Roquan Smith is a projected first-round pick. He's an undersized linebacker but has great speed. Belichick also got a close look at Georgia's other linebackers: Lorenzo Carter, Davin Bellamy and Reggie Carter.
Check out this video of Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia lead linebackers Roquan Smith, Lorenzo Carter, Davin Bellamy and Reggie Carter through some drills pic.twitter.com/zRQ0VTWmIF
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) March 21, 2018
Roquan Smith, Reggie Carter, Davin Bellamy and Lorenzo Carter go through a drill that Bill Belichick is leading. pic.twitter.com/frjOT7Qu72
— Jason Butt (@JasonHButt) March 21, 2018
NC State Defensive Linemen Bradley Chubb, B.J. Hill, Justin Jones, Kentavius Street
Bill Belichick getting a first-hand look at every defensive lineman at NC State Pro Day pic.twitter.com/vakhjOYyyw
— Pack Pride (@PackPride) March 19, 2018
Bradley Chubb is probably going to be drafted at the top of the first round, and Belichick made it pretty clear that he doesn't expect to get the chance to draft the 6-foot-4 game-changer. After Chubb told the coach that it was an honor to meet him, Belichick flatly said, "Yeah, we're picking 31st. No chance we'll see you."
Belichick also took a close look at all of the defensive linemen participating in drills.
Ohio State's Defensive Backs And Defensive Linemen
Ohio State defensive backs going through drills with Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia now. Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio throwing the ball to the defensive backs. pic.twitter.com/X5ebDZoKPD
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 22, 2018
BILL BELICHICK TOUR#Patriots Head Coach and son Steve drop by the @OhioStAthletics pro day today to do some more scouting. #WBZ #OhioState pic.twitter.com/SbmXGZz8q5
— Scott Sullivan (@sullybunZ) March 22, 2018
If you've ever wanted to see Bill Belichick hitting the bags, well, here you go.
— Garrett Stepien (@GarrettStepien) March 22, 2018
The legendary New England #Patriots head coach is personally directing former Ohio State DLs Sam Hubbard, Jalyn Holmes, Tyquan Lewis, Tracy Sprinkle and Michael Hill in position drills at pro day. pic.twitter.com/wNYFclEEcM
Patriots coach Bill Belichick was watching the 40-yard dash closely here at Ohio State pro day. Stopped to shake hands with Tyquan Lewis and Damon Webb after their runs. Seemed to be keeping a close eye on Zach Turnure too... his potential next Nate Ebner?
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 22, 2018
Bill was standing up close and personal as Sam Hubbard, Jalyn Holmes, Tyquan Lewis, Tracy Sprinkle and Michael Hill ran a drill at Ohio State, and he was giving hands-on instructions for a defensive backs drill along with Nick Caserio and Matt Patricia. Damon Webb, Erick Smith, Denzel Ward, Trevon Forte and Elijaah Goins were the participants in that drill.
South Carolina Tight End Hayden Hurst, Linebacker Skai Moore, Defensive Tackle Taylor Stallworth
.@GamecockFB LB Skai Moore said he met w/ Bill Belichick for an hour yesterday. Said the two broke down the entire Clemson game, play-by-play. Says BB told he's a great player while also discussing Moore's personal life & time at South Carolina. Added that they talked in Indy too pic.twitter.com/Gw7abX170B
— Mike Uva (@Mike_Uva) March 20, 2018
Taylor Stallworth on meeting Bill Belichick pic.twitter.com/VBqiSUp5AD
— Hale McGranahan (@HaleMcGranahan) March 20, 2018
????BILL BELICHICK#Patriots Head Coach scouting @GamecockFB Pro Day today.#WBZ #ProDay #SouthCarolina pic.twitter.com/PGxZ1UEkb7
— Scott Sullivan (@sullybunZ) March 21, 2018
Matt, from what I saw yesterday BB paid close attention to Hayden Hurst the most but I wouldn't be surprised if Moore landed in NE if he's available late in the draft. DT Taylor Stallworth (6-2, 312) told us yesterday after pro day that Belichick also met with him.
— Mike Uva (@Mike_Uva) March 21, 2018
Even if Rob Gronkowski plays in 2018 (which seems like it has a high likelihood), the Patriots could still use some tight ends on the roster. So Belichick's interest in Hayden Hurst is noteworthy. As a junior, the 6-foot-5 Hurst caught 44 passes for 559 yards and two touchdowns. That was a worthy follow-up to his sophomore season, when he caught 48 passes for 616 yards and one touchdown.
Alabama Linebacker Rashaan Evans
BELICHICK SIGHTING!#Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick scouting at @AlabamaFTBL Pro Day. He also caught up with friends Nick Saban, Matt Patricia & Mike Vrabel.#AlabamaProDay #Lions #Alabama #Titans #WBZ pic.twitter.com/ehLd8XXha2
— Scott Sullivan (@sullybunZ) March 8, 2018
All eyes were on Bama for Pro Day#OutworkYesterday#RollTide pic.twitter.com/6I1j1SiOwd
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) March 9, 2018
Belichick obviously didn't miss the opportunity to hang out with Nick Saban. Linebacker Rashaan Evans was one player Belichick reportedly watched. He's a 6-foot-3, 234-pound linebacker who's projected to be picked in the first round.
The Patriots have sent other scouts and coaches to several other pro days as well, because for all of Belichick's powers, he can't be in multiple places at once. But the head coach's personal itinerary over the past few weeks might be an indication of which players the Patriots might be really targeting when it comes to pick in April's draft.
Here's a list of the picks owned by the Patriots in this year's draft:
First Round, 31st overall
Second Round, 43rd overall (from San Francisco/Jimmy Garoppolo trade)
Second Round, 63rd overall
Third Round, 95th overall
Fourth Round, 136th overall (compensatory pick)
Sixth Round, 210th overall (compensatory pick from Oakland/Cordarrelle Patterson trade)
Seventh Round, 219th overall (from Cleveland/Jason McCourty trade)