Patriots Rumors: What Soured Bill Belichick On Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown

Bill Belichick had a shaky record of offensive draft picks in the past 10 years, and the face of that poor draft history arguably was N’Keal Harry.

The Arizona State product was drafted by the New England Patriots with the final pick of the first round in the 2019 NFL Draft. Harry was a failure in his three seasons, and fans agonized over the wide receivers he was drafted over: Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf, Diontae Johnson and Terry McLaurin.

There were a myriad of reasons why Robert Kraft felt the “time was right” to let Belichick go after this season, but his poor draft record in recent years would have to be near the top of the list. When it came to Harry, fans were left asking, “How did the Patriots whiff so badly?”

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer on Thursday released an extensive feature on the turmoil inside New England during Belichick’s final season. Breer highlighted how the departures of key people like Ernie Adams led to Belichick making poor personnel decisions.

“The draft was at the heart of the issue, and 2019 provided a flash point for folks on the personnel side,” Breer wrote. “Before that draft, Patriots scouts were high on the South Carolina Gamecocks’ Deebo Samuel and Ole Miss Rebels’ A.J. Brown. The two came to Foxborough together on a visit and had been traveling together all week. As such, they had a good, jovial ability to poke at each other and laugh together, and Belichick was leery that they weren’t taking the visit seriously enough.

“Conversely, Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry had crushed his visit and, combined with recommendations from confidants — Sun Devils coaches Todd Graham and Herm Edwards — Belichick started to veer from his own scout’s recommendations. It was — to the scouts — another example that they weren’t being heard and that Belichick was taking the information he’d gathered instead of what they’d spent months and months compiling.”

Patriots fans certainly don’t need to be told how much Samuel and Brown are compared to Harry. The former Patriots wideout barely cracked 500 yards in five seasons. Samuel made a Pro Bowl and was named an All-Pro while showcasing his ability as a pass-catcher and rusher. Brown is a three-time Pro Bowler and reached 1,000 in four out of his first five seasons.

This report on Belichick’s draft process highlighted how the former New England head coach might have been losing touch with the modern player.

New England hired Jerod Mayo as head coach, and Kraft now is on the search for a general manager, who will have a huge responsibility to get this year’s draft right with the Patriots in control of the No. 3 pick.