Jones: A Look At Quarterbacks Drafted By Bill Belichick
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots used one of their two third-round picks in the NFL Draft on a quarterback, taking NC State passer Jacoby Brissett with the 91st overall selection.
He'll be New England's third-string quarterback behind 38-year-old Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo, providing some insurance at the position should Brady have to serve his four-game DeflateGate suspension to start the season.
Adam Jones and Rich Keefe took a look back at New England's drafting history with quarterbacks and how the team has fared with those picks. Jones believes that drafting and developing a quarterback is good business, but not when it comes at the cost of a Top 100 pick.
The History (under Bill Belichick):
Tom Brady (Sixth round 2000, 199th pick)
"That one has paid off," Jones joked. "Probably the best draft pick in NFL history."
Rohan Davey (Fourth round 2002, 117th pick)
Was released in August 2005 with no return.
Kliff Kingsbury (Sixth round 2003, 201st pick)
Spent his rookie year on IR and was released by September 2004.
Matt Cassel (Seventh round 2005, 230th pick)
Started for an injured Brady in 2008, and was then traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a second-round pick (used to draft Patrick Chung).
"They did get something out of that; a 2009 second-round pick. They had to throw Mike Vrabel into the deal, and needed him to start for a full year. It's not like they cashed in behind the scenes, they needed to lose Brady for an entire year, but they did cash in on that."
Kevin O'Connell (Third round 2008, 94th overall)
Made it through one training camp and was released in 2009.
Zac Robinson (Seventh round 2010, 250th pick)
Released by September 2010.
Ryan Mallett (Third round 2011, 74th overall)
After three seasons in New England, Mallett was traded to Houston for a 2016 seventh-round pick. They flipped that pick to the Seahawks in a deal for a 2017 fourth-round pick.
Jimmy Garoppolo (Second round 2014, 62nd overall
Garoppolo has looked promising in his brief time under center for the Patriots.
"It seems like they'll get something for Garoppolo," said Jones.
Will Jacoby Brissett net the Patriots anything in the end -- either on the trade market or at the position? Jones & Keefe discussed:
"I think they've been pretty successful when they draft a guy in the sixth or seventh round, or bring in an undrafted guy, and develop him behind the scenes. If they hit on him, great, he's your backup for a couple of years and then you flip him. If not, take another guy late the next year. A quarterback you know you want to work with and groom behind the scenes. That's the right approach," said Jones. "The idea of having to reach in the Top 100, when you have a window -- we don't know how short it is now -- with Brady, and you're reaching in the Top 100 -- 91 overall for Brissett, 94 overall for O'Connell, 74 overall for Mallett, and even 62 overall for Garoppolo, that hasn't seemed like a sound strategy yet. It hasn't worked out yet.
"Take a flyer at the end of the draft, see if it works out, and if it doesn't do it again last year," said Jones. "The reaching in the Top 100, I don't think it has worked out, and that's a long way of saying I don't think Brissett is going to work out either."
