How the AFC champion Patriots were built
Just how does one build a Super Bowl contender? Look no further than the team with machine-like efficiency: the New England Patriots.
The NFL's preeminent power will be making its third straight Super Bowl appearance when it heads to Atlanta to face the Los Angeles Rams. It's New England's fourth trip to the big game in the last five seasons.
The 2018 Patriots were thought to be the most vulnerable version in years, with an aging quarterback and a lack of game-changing talent. Yet here they are, playing for another Lombardi Trophy. Here's how the latest version of the Pats was built:
Key Players| Year | Draft | Free Agent | Trade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Tom Brady | ||
| 2006 | Stephen Gostkowski | ||
| 2008 | Matthew Slater | ||
| 2009 | Julian Edelman | ||
| Patrick Chung | |||
| 2010 | Devin McCourty | ||
| Rob Gronkowski | |||
| 2011 | Marcus Cannon | ||
| 2012 | Dont'a Hightower | ||
| 2014 | James White | ||
| 2015 | Shaq Mason | David Andrews | |
| Trey Flowers | |||
| Malcom Brown | |||
| 2016 | Joe Thuney | Chris Hogan | Kyle Van Noy |
| Elandon Roberts | |||
| 2017 | Deatrich Wise | Stephon Gilmore | Phillip Dorsett |
| Rex Burkhead | |||
| Lawrence Guy | |||
| 2018 | Sony Michel | Adrian Clayborn | Jason McCourty |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | |||
| Trent Brown |
Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / GettyIt all began with a napkin.
In 2000, after less than a day on the job, Bill Belichick stepped down as head coach of the New York Jets, handing the team president a handwritten resignation note penned on a serviette as the introductory press conference was set to begin.
The Patriots would trade three draft picks to the Jets in exchange for two picks and the right to sign Belichick. The rest, as they say, is history.
As head coach and de facto general manager, the five-time Super Bowl champion has left an unmistakable imprint on the team's present-day roster. Thirty-one players on the 53-man roster are homegrown, culled either through the draft or as college free agents.
The blueprint begins with the mastermind in the hoodie.
Coaching staffFull credit is also due to Josh McDaniels. He's spent 10 of the past 13 years as New England's offensive coordinator and has led the unit to eight top-10 finishes in total offense. Under McDaniels' watch, the team has yet to finish worse than eighth in scoring offense.
There has been far more turnover at defensive coordinator, as many have left to accept head coaching jobs elsewhere. But whether under the direction of Romeo Crennel, Dean Pees, Matt Patricia, or Brian Flores, the defense has remained under the watchful eye of Belichick. That approach figures to continue with Flores' impending departure.
The GOAT
Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Sport / GettyWhen it comes to the roster, it all begins with Tom Brady.
The Patriots famously used a sixth-round pick in 2000 on the unassuming quarterback out of Michigan. He spent his rookie year supporting starter Drew Bledsoe before taking over for an injured Bledsoe in Week 2 of the following season. Named the Week 3 starter, Brady wound up leading New England all the way to a Super Bowl victory over the Rams - then of St. Louis - in February 2002.
In the time since, he's cemented his spot as the arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, winning four more Super Bowls and three MVPs along the way.
Even now, in the later stages of his career, Brady remains at the top of his game; he led the Pats back from a late 25-point deficit to win Super Bowl LI and - at the age of 41 - outdueled young phenom Patrick Mahomes to take New England to its ninth title game in the last 18 years.
Building through the draftThe pieces of this year's AFC championship team began surfacing in 2006 when the Patriots scooped up venerable placekicker Stephen Gostkowski with a fourth-round pick.
Special-teams ace Matthew Slater came via the 2008 draft, while New England's 2009 selections netted Julian Edelman - now second all-time in postseason receptions - and longtime safety Patrick Chung.
The Patriots also nailed their first two picks in 2010, selecting Devin McCourty - a starter in the secondary ever since - and revolutionary tight end Rob Gronkowski.
All six players have been aboard for the Patriots' running streak of eight consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances.
Linebacker Dont'a Hightower, star of Super Bowl LI, was also a 2012 first-round selection.
Unheralded O-line
Boston Globe / Boston Globe / GettyToday's offensive line began taking shape with the 2011 fifth-round selection of Marcus Cannon. He's moved up and down the offensive line in his time with the Patriots but has held down the right tackle spot since 2016.
Right guard Shaq Mason arrived in the 2015 draft and center David Andrews joined as a college free agent during that same offseason. Left guard Joe Thuney was a third-round pick the following year.
Following the departure of Nate Solder for greener ($) pastures last March, the Pats made a sly draft-day move, trading a 2018 third-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for right tackle Trent Brown and a fifth-rounder.
New England immediately installed Brown in the vacant left tackle spot and the move has paid massive dividends; he's Pro Football Focus' highest-graded tackle in this year's playoffs.
Meanwhile, the impact of a strong offensive line coach cannot be overstated, and the Patriots may have one of the best.
Dante Scarnecchia coached the O-line from 1998 to his retirement after the 2013 season. It struggled so mightily in the two years following his departure that the Patriots brought Scarnecchia out of retirement for the 2016 campaign, and the unit has since rebounded to its previously superlative standards.
The Patriots' offensive line didn't allow a sack or commit a penalty in the AFC Championship Game, despite the raucous Arrowhead Stadium crowd.
Free-agent splashThough much of his roster was constructed through the draft, Belichick isn't shy about targeting big fish using other means. He's traded for the likes of Wes Welker, Randy Moss, and Aqib Talib, and he's used free agency to nab such stars as Rodney Harrison and Darrelle Revis.
His latest big swing came ahead of the 2017 campaign when he splashed $65 million on free-agent corner Stephon Gilmore. It was the second richest-signing of the free-agency period and it didn't come without its detractors.
But Gilmore has repaid Belichick's faith this season, the second of his five-year deal. The 28-year-old was named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career and graded out as PFF's No. 1 corner in the league.
The final piece
Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / GettyAfter the Patriots allowed Dion Lewis to walk as a free agent last offseason, leaving a substantial hole in touches and touchdowns on their depth chart, the final position yet to be addressed was at running back.
Still, a running back wasn't thought to be a target for New England in the 2018 draft - especially not one believed to have knee issues.
Former Patriots staffer Michael Lombardi reported just before the draft that Sony Michel had a bone-on-bone medical condition that could affect the longevity of his playing career. It was believed such concerns would cause Michel to slip in the draft.
But there the Patriots were with the 31st pick, ready to pounce on the former Georgia star.
Leading New England in rushing with nearly 1,000 yards on the ground, six touchdowns, and five more scores in the postseason, Michel shined in his rookie season. He proved to be the final piece necessary for the Patriots' third consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
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