Wait, the Patriots did WHAT on the first night of the Draft?
"The New England Patriots trade out of the first round"pic.twitter.com/YfqxQVAzZh
— Dale & Keefe (@DaleKeefeWEEI) April 24, 2020
Get out of here! You're kidding! Hold on, nobody saw that coming...
.@FitzyGFY called it. Just like 2013, trade out of the 1st Rd
— Ken Laird (@KenLairdWEEI) April 24, 2020In a move only everyone saw coming, the Patriots traded out of the first round, acquiring picks No. 37 and 71 in exchange for 23. Color very few fans surprised.
Waited all night to watch the pats pick and of course the emperor trades down
— Tim Sweeney (@theswine15) April 24, 2020We may as well start celebrating it like it's a holiday or something at this point.
Everyone agrees that we're all gonna wait up till 1030 just to watch the Patriots trade down, right?It's a yearly tradition. ------
— Savage Boston Sports ------❄️☃️ (@SavageBoston) April 23, 2020That's not to say Pats fans were happy about the move (not that we were the easiest lot to please to begin with)
WTF!? WE TRADED OUR PICK!!!???? STUPID M'FERS!!!! pic.twitter.com/3rsFEtGBHI
— PATRIOTSHONEY12.2 (@PATRIOTSHONEY11) April 24, 2020Or the experience of waiting three hours to learn what we told them all along.
First round is such a waste to watch when you're a Patriots fan
— Brock (@BrockOgami) April 24, 2020Or the team's future after deciding value over talent was the night one call.
My message to Patriots Nation: pic.twitter.com/lZSpl9QpAJ
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) April 24, 2020National media? Not surprised.
Patriots accumulate more picks. Hmmmmm. Stockpiling picks. Hmmmmm. Letting go of talent. Almost like....
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) April 24, 2020As far as what the yield is, it appears the value, which we know Belichick loves as much as he does special teams talk and the Naval Academy, is pretty solid.
Patriots trade out of pick 23 - send it to the Chargers for picks 37 & 71.Patriots got the better deal in #NFLDraft trade w Chargers by getting 19.1 draft points & losing 14.6. Jimmy Johnson's trade value agrees.
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 24, 2020For those who say "Value, Schmalue! We need impact players!", recent history is a solid indicator the move might pay off.
When the Patriots trade down, it is because they feel they can get a similarly-graded player at the spot they moved to, while picking up an additional asset.One example: In 2013, they likely would have taken Jamie Collins at 29. Moved to 52, got Collins ... and then some.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) April 24, 2020Some familiar voices were happy Belichick decided to do his dirty work later on...and maybe with good cause.
When your last 5 1st round picks are N'Keal Harry, Isaiah Wynn, Sony Michel, Malcom Brown and Dominique Easley I'd trade out too.
— Rich Keefe (@Keefe21) April 24, 2020No matter what the Patriots did it's always a good occasion to make light (mostly to mask our true feelings about what's going on in Tampa).
Breaking:The 23rd pick just retired from the Patriots and has signed with Tampa Bay
— Jerry Thornton (@jerrythornton1) April 24, 2020The real hit of the night for Patriots fans? Seeing Bill Belichick's draft setup. It was, shall we say, minimalist?
Bill Belichick's draft room, via ABC pic.twitter.com/Sw0FKOJqkS
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) April 24, 2020I'm with this guy; totally expected something different.
huh.... I thought it looked more like this pic.twitter.com/SWkHtG5L6A
— Michael Watts (@mjwatts1983) April 24, 2020All in all it was nice to have live sports back. Anything football > no football. The virtual format, with Roger Goodell announcing picks from his office, the wall of fans Zoom-ed in for each team, was not so bad. You definitely missed the energy of fans being present, the booing, cheering and general din of NFL New Year's Day. The speed and pacing were in line with previous drafts...though we're still trying to figure out exactly why Cincinnati needed almost ten minutes to make a pick they'd already announced.
The surprise of the night? The Green Bay Packers moving up in the first round to select quarterback Jordan Love, a player some thought the Patriots might have been in on.
And by trading up to draft Utah St. QB Jordan Love, the Green Bay Packers put 36-year-old Aaron Rodgers on the clock.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2020How did Packers fans feel about it? Seemed to take it pretty well.
This Packer fan's reaction to the Jordan Love pick... #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/5y7KdKYP4i
— Jesse Gavin (@JesseGavin1) April 24, 2020You know this will likely sit well with Rodgers.
Dont worry guys Aaron Rodgers is gonna love Jordan Love like a brother
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 24, 2020Why it's almost like deja vu up there in Green Bay...
Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love in training camp pic.twitter.com/WrktIZ2FDu
— SB Nation (@SBNation) April 24, 2020And this, of course, lead Patriots fans to get the unsubstantiated rumor mill churning...
Can I start the Rodgers to New England rumor now or do I have to wait 24 hours?
— Jared Haibon (@haibon_jared) April 24, 2020So there you have it; Round One of the 2020 NFL Draft, Patriots edition. Best guess for tonight is the Patriots, now armed with one second rounder and four third rounders, make another trade and land another pick in the second. There are needs aplenty, with most fans and analysts alike believing the team will look to address needs at linebacker, tight end and safety (lots of talent still on the board) tonight. But then again, whenever we think we have Belichick figured out...
When the Patriots take a kicker at pick 37 tomorrow pic.twitter.com/PX172vFyu2
— '16 Brady Brycen -- (@BrycenNFL) April 24, 2020
