Bedard: Draft another example of how Belichick (almost) always leaves himself options

FOXBOROUGH — We'll get to the complaints about how the Patriots didn't address their defense, which was last seen not being able to stop a nosebleed in Super Bowl LII, in a minute.

Same with how the Patriots seemingly have 13 running backs to share, the last time we checked, one football in a crowded backfield. More offense?

But first, we just have to stop and marvel at the remarkable consistency from One Patriot Place. If there's one thing you can count on when it comes to Bill Belichick and the team-building process, it's this: the man always leaves himself options.

OK, maybe not always. He left himself beholden to Tom Brady at the quarterback position after the trade of Jimmy Garoppolo. That's been a little problematic to this point in the offseason, but likely won't be in short order.

But, in general, Belichick always leaves himself an out.

And so went Thursday night's first round of the NFL draft.



Shaq Mason, who's nearly at an All-Pro level at guard, is going into a contract year?

Not sure whether Tony Garcia is definite to return to full health after missing his rookie season with blood clots? Or whether LaAdrian Waddle can make it through five games healthy?

Belichick says to himself, Well then, let's go get a player who could ultimately play either position. Enter Georgia lineman Isaiah Wynn, the first pick at 23rd overall.

Yes, the Patriots have Rex Burkhead, James White, Mike Gillislee and Jeremy Hill (plus Brandon Bolden) at running back. But how many of them can you actually count on?

Burkhead, while dynamic, is seemingly always in and out of the lineup with injuries. White, while improved, is still not all that effective inside the tackles (and if the Patriots believed he was, they wouldn't keep investing in the position). Gillislee entered witness protection after being given a nice contract. And Hill has had injury problems as well.

And none of them, obviously, could match Dion Lewis' effectiveness last season, and he departed in free agency.

Toss in the fact that contracts are always a factor — White's cap number jumps after this season, Burkhead is cuttable after 2018, and Gillislee and Hill are both entering contract years — and you could understand that, yes, running back could use a little help.

Back to Mason for a second. Do you realize that elite guards are now getting over $12 million per season? Now, with Wynn in the fold, the Patriots can go a few different routes. They can offer a team-friendly deal (normal course of action) and if he refuses, the team could let him play out his contract and wave goodbye without having to use the franchise tag. Or, if things go well with other players, trade Mason before the start of the season.

See, options.

What kind of player are the Patriots getting in Wynn? I think he's terrific. There are some concerns about whether he has the length or other measurables needed to play left tackle in the NFL. There may be some hurdles with that, but, largely, I think that a lot of it is hogwash.

Is Wynn, at 6-foot-2 and 303 pounds with 33-inch arms, the prototype at left tackle? Not even close. Nate Solder was. If you could grow a left tackle in a petri dish, it would look like Solder, with his height, length, and feet.

But here's the thing about offensive line play: It doesn't matter what you look like. The only thing that matters is whether or not you can you put yourself between the defender and the quarterback and hold your own. And Wynn can do that at any position on the line.

Over recent years, the Patriots have seen a lot of a player who is similar in size to Wynn: Kelvin Beachum. Beachum entered the league in 2012 with the Steelers with the exact same measurements as Wynn (6-foot-2, 303 pounds, 33-inch arms). Now, he wasn't a first-round pick — he went in the seventh — but by the end of the 2014 season, not only was Beachum a starting left tackle in the league, he was one of the best. Just check out the company he kept in the Pro Football Focus rankings:



Entering the 2015 season, Beachum turned down a contract extension from the Steelers, bet on himself and lost when he tore an ACL. Basically, Beachum had to start over trying to prove his health, first with the Jaguars, and then with the Jets. He's now back to being one of the better left tackles in the league.

The point is, if Beachum could play the position well, then Wynn, who's a much better player entering the league, can certainly do it.

But the Patriots will do what they always do: they'll throw the players on the field in training camp, and the best five will play by Week 4 or 5 (the new CBA has basically forced the Patriots to use the early-season games as line tryouts). Waddle, Garcia and Wynn will all get a chance to win the job. No matter what transpires this season, the ideal situation for the Patriots is that Garcia and Wynn show they are capable of playing either tackle spot (Marcus Cannon is cuttable after '18) and New England can go in any direction it chooses after this season.

As for the defense, I understand the complaints. But understand this: if you're looking for the draft to immediately fill a need, you're in trouble. Consider that both the Super Bowl teams from last season, the Patriots and Eagles, basically had zero rookies contribute significantly to successful campaigns.

So while I'm guessing a number of you aren't thrilled with an offensive lineman (only you like that, Bedahd - fat guys stick together) or another running back, know that this was the standard operating procedure for Belichick and the Patriots.

And that's worked pretty well to this point.