2021 Patriots mock draft: Does the spending spree impact Belichick's approach?
When the Patriots assess prospects in the NFL Draft, it's not an exercise performed in a vacuum.They look at their current roster, they evaluate potential newcomers against those already in the fold. Can a rookie inside linebacker supplant a veteran? If not in Year 1, then what about in Year 2 or 3? They take the short-term and long-term into account. There have been years when the team has felt confident in its roster as constructed headed into the draft, and in those years there may not be much room for rookies.That brings us to this year's tampering period. Have the Patriots loaded up in such a way that every one of their myriad roster holes is filled with veterans? No. But many of their signings beyond the high-end payments to tight end Jonnu Smith and outside linebacker Matthew Judon have been to fill out their depth -- spots that in other locales might be filled by players on cheaper rookie contracts.Making as many acquisitions as they've made -- and there are more coming -- may mean it's less likely the Patriots spend all their draft capital in a month and a half. They have nine picks. They could end up with more if they end up trading Stephon Gilmore or if JC Jackson is signed to a lucrative restricted free-agent deal.Maneuverability. They have it. And they could use it, potentially, to get as aggressive as they've been in this free-agent period to find their next face of the franchise. That's exactly what we have them doing in our latest mock draft: trading a future pick that could easily be replaced by a 2021 pick (or picks) depending on how much capital they have to play with on draft night.Quarterback is the one spot they can't adequately address in free agency given the options. But if they bring their improve-at-all-costs approach from March to the end of April, they could make the splashiest move of all: one that gives them long-term hope at the game's most important position.