What To Know About The Patriots Heading Into 2017 NFL Draft
BOSTON (CBS) -- The NFL Draft is here, and it's either going to be a quiet night for the Patriots or a pretty busy one.
At the moment, New England doesn't own a first or second round pick thanks to a flurry of offseason trades. Instead of some early round picks, the Pats have wide receiver Brandin Cooks and defensive end Kony Ealy on their roster, which you'd be hard pressed to find anyone complaining about those moves.
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The Patriots placed an emphasis on known commodities instead of the great unknown with draft picks, which has bolstered their roster but left them a little light on draft picks. They own just six picks heading into the draft, the fewest Bill Belichick has had since 2002. Their first selection won't come until pick No. 72, their longest wait since last season when they didn't have a first-rounder (that whole DeflateGate thing) and took cornerback Cyrus Jones with the 60th overall pick.
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Here are their selections, and a look at the picks they traded away:
Patriots Picks
Third Round, No. 72 (from Carolina)
Third Round, No. 96
Fourth Round, No. 131 (from Seattle)
Fifth Round, No. 183 (Compensatory Pick)
Sixth Round, No. 200 (from Indianapolis)
Seventh Round, No. 239 (from Detroit)
What's Happened In Those Draft Slots?
- The Patriots have never picked at No. 72 before. Notable picks at that slot include four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter (1998 by the Philadelphia Eagles) and All Pro defensive end Olivier Vernon (2012 by the Miami Dolphins).
- The Patriots picked at No. 96 last year and drafted Nebraska defensive tackle Vincent Valentine, who recorded 19 tackles and a sack in 13 regular season games. They've picked at No. 96 three times in total, also picking tackle Kenyatta Jones out of South Florida in 2001 and defensive back Maurice Hearst out of Southern University in 1989.
The most notable pick at No. 96 was Hall of Famer Charles Haley, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1986.
- The Patriots have picked at No. 131 twice, drafting guard Shaq Mason out of Georgia Tech in 2015 (Mason has started 25 of the 30 games he's played in) and tight end David Hardt out of Kentucky in 1971.
- The Patriots have picked at No. 200 just once before, drafting defensive back Leonard Myers out of Miami in 2001. He spent two seasons with the Patriots and earned a Super Bowl XXXVI ring in 2001, which he sold on Ebay for $36,200 in 2005. Myers died of cancer in February at the age of 38.
- The Patriots have had the No. 239 pick four times, with their most notable pick running back/fullback Patrick Pass out of Georgia in 2000. Pass won three Super Bowls during his time in New England, making his biggest impacts on special teams. They also picked linebacker Tully Banta-Cain out of California with the 239th pick in 2003, who spent six years on the New England defense over two different stints.
New England also drafted linebacker T.J. Turner (Michigan State) in 2001 and kicker Henry Brown (Missouri) in 1970.
Where'd The Other Picks Go
First Round, No. 32: Sent to New Orleans for WR Brandin Cooks
Second Round, No. 64: Sent to Carolina Panthers for DE Kony Ealy
Third Round, No. 103: Sent To New Orleans for Cooks
Fourth Round: The pick acquired from New Orleans in the Cooks deal is forfeited due to DeflateGate punishment
Fourth Round, No. 137: Sent to Indianapolis for TE Dwayne Allen
Fifth Round, No. 163: Sent to Buffalo as compensation for RB Mike Gillislee
Fifth Round, No. 175: Sent to Cleveland in 2016 trade for LB Barkevious Mingo
Sixth Round, No. 215: Sent to Detroit in 2016 trade for LB Kyle Van Noy
Seventh Round, No. 250: Sent to Detroit in 2015 trade for TE Michael Williams
Everything Else To Know About The 2017 NFL Draft
The 82nd annual NFL Draft will take place in Philadelphia, and will be held outdoors for the first time. Here's when each round will happen:
Round 1: Thursday, April 27 at 8 p.m.
Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 28 at 7 p.m.
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 29 at 12 p.m.
Teams will have 10 minutes to make their selections in the first round, seven minutes in the second round, five minutes for each selection in rounds 3-6 and four minutes for seventh-round and compensatory picks.
- The last time Bill Belichick didn't make any trades during the draft was in 2004. He's traded up 18 times in his 17 drafts with New England, and traded down 19 times.
Belichick has made 33 draft day trades over the last nine seasons, including three last year. He has made 20 trades that involved players and/or future draft considerations.
- Kevin Faulk made headlines last year when he announced one of New England's selections in a Tom Brady jersey. This year, it will be Patriots Hall of Famer Andre Tippett who will announce one of their third-round picks, along with current special teamer and Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner Matthew Slater.