Bill Belichick: King of Trading Picks

Anyone who follows the NFL draft and more specifically the New England Patriots knows the reputation and philosophy employed by Bill Belichick and the front office. They are always looking to trade picks for more picks later on, and they always seem to find a way to stock up on multiple 1st and 2nd round picks year after year. The Pats went into Thursday's draft with 3 of the first 33 picks, and somehow finished with an extra first and second for next year. We all talk about these picks Belichick collects, but let's take a closer look at two high profile trades over the last couple seasons along with one under the radar trade that paid off nicely for New England:

In September 2009, the Patriots traded Richard Seymour to the Raiders for a 2011 first round pick. Now that the draft has passed, we know that pick was used to select Nate Solder. In the end, New England parted with an aging yet productive veteran for a player who will potentially take over for another aging veteran, Matt Light, and be in charge of keeping Tom Brady upright for the remainder of his career.

In October 2010 the Patriots traded another aging veteran, Randy Moss, to the Vikings for a third round draft pick. What looked like an exciting move for Minnesota turned out to be a busted trade, basically giving New England a pick for nothing. We saw that pick used on Friday when the Patriots selected Ryan Mallett, a luxury pick who could be the potential heir to Tom Brady's throne.

Now this next trade is an example of how Bill Belichick wheels and deals picks and makes the most of what he gets in return. In the 2009 draft, the Patriots traded their third round pick (#89) to the Titans, who chose tight end Jared Cook. In return, NE received a 2010 second round pick.

Cut to the 2010 draft. The Patriots traded that pick from the Titans to the Cardinals in return for a 2nd

and a 3rd. They then traded the 2nd round pick to the Texans for a 2nd and a 5th. They used that 2nd round pick to select Brandon Spikes, and picked up Zoltan Mesco in the fifth round. The Patriots took the 3rd round pick from the Cardinals and sent it to the Panthers, who selected Armanti Edwards, in return for a 2011 second round pick. As we saw, the Patriots used that pick to choose cornerback Ras-I Dowling from Virginia.

So, to simplify that 2009 draft day trade: The Patriots ultimately gave up one pick that was originally theirs (#89 to Tennessee). In return, they got Brandon Spikes, Zoltan Mesko, and Ras-I Dowling. While it remains to be seen what impact those three players will have for the Patriots, it shows the genius that is Bill Belichick and the entire Patriots organization.