(Photo via Kraft Sports Productions)
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Patriots have traded Brandin Cooks and a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for the 23rd overall pick in the draft and a sixth-rounder. The Patriots made a nearly identical trade last year for Brandin Cooks, who turned out to be a one-year rental, and New England now has two first-round picks and a pair of second-round picks in the upcoming draft.
I’m not going to jump the gun and call this the greatest trade deal in the history of trade deals, but I do think that the Patriots nailed this trade. Brandin Cooks is HIGHLY overrated and overvalued at his position––he proved this past season to be nothing more than a streaky deep threat who runs mediocre routes and struggles after the catch. His rapport with Tom Brady never really developed to the extent that fans hoped, and he never panned out as Brady’s first option.
After getting rid of dead weight, Brady will have Edelman, (hopefully) Gronk, Hogan, and Mitchell to work with next season, and that’s not including the possible options to come out of the upcoming draft.
Speaking of the draft, the Patriots will now have two first-round picks and two second-round picks––almost unheard of for an NFL team, and especially unusual for a team who just made it to the Super Bowl. With these four picks in the first 64, it’s almost impossible to predict what Belichick will decide to do. Could Bill spend the world on a new defense to replace the one who gave up 41 points to a backup quarterback and just lost its coordinator? Could he use some of these picks to make a splash and bring in Odell Beckham, Jr.? Is it possible that Bill finds the next Tom Brady in the rough, or could he go after a bigger name like Lamar Jackson? Or, while Bill has begun to change his ways recently, could he fall back to his traditional patterns and go after an offensive tackle to replace Solder and reach on a relatively unknown defensive end?
In my opinion, it would be smart for Belichick to spend early on a quarterback and try to rectify his decision to trade Garoppolo for a mere second-round pick. Tom Brady won’t play forever, and the future of the Patriots franchise could always be sitting in the audience on April 27th. After addressing the QB issue, it’s imperative that the Patriots find some young talent to bolster their recently atrocious defense.
The world waits in anticipation, as the coming month will decide a lot about the future of the New England Patriots. For now, Patriots Nation should be quite satisfied with the offseason we’ve had so far. Thank you Brandin Cooks for your service as a Patriot, but thank you even more for your value on the trade market.
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