When it comes to the Pats, Bill Belichick, and the draft, the one name that
immediately springs to mind is Tom Brady. It’s impossible to ignore the impact
of the greatest quarterback that the game has ever seen. However, what
others may not know is that there have been many other notable draft picks
brought in during the era of the 69-year-old head coach.

Today, that’s where we’re going to focus our gaze as we take a look at some
of the players who have been helped to greatness by the six-time Super Bowl-
winning head coach.

Richard Seymour

Seymour was drafted to the Pats in 2001 after a successful college spell with the University of Georgia, where he starred alongside another future Patriot in Johnathan Sullivan. Coming in as the highest first-round pick in the era of Belichick, he went on to become one of the most reliable players in a seven-year stint in Foxborough. After winning three Super Bowl titles with New England, he went on to further personal success with the Oakland Raiders, after being selected for the Pro Bowl twice in his final three seasons before retirement. His status as a legend of the game was further sealed when he was recently inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Rob Gronkowski

It has to be said the draft-day deal with the Oakland Raiders, which allowed the Pats to bring in Gronk, turned out to be one of the best in franchise history. From the moment he stepped into the building, he made an impact, scoring four touchdowns in pre-season before winning three Super Bowl rings with the Pats in eight years. After announcing his retirement in 2018, it was somewhat surprising to see him return to action with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over a year later. But linking up with his former colleague, Brady, has proved to be a masterstroke. Gronkowski won a fourth championship in 2021, and many thought they could repeat the feat this year. However, they couldn’t overcome the challenge of the L.A. Rams in the playoffs. It’s quite a measure of the Bucs strength that only now do The Rams find themselves the favorites for the title in the latest Super Bowl odds from Ladbrokes, with Gronkowski and Brady out of the picture. That will come as little solace for Gronkowski who’s been a player synonymous with victory for over a decade.

While it’s been tough to see him go to further successes away from New England, you can’t deny that Gronk is one of the best players of his era, one of the best players the Patriots have had, and as ESPN cites him, one of the best tight ends in the history of the NFL.

Stephen Gostkowski

Arguably, the stage was set for Gostkowski to become a star from a young age. He excelled in soccer, football, and baseball before stepping up as a potential future NFL legend in college with the Memphis Tigers. His performances with the Tigers set him up perfectly to replace the legendary Adam Vinatieri. He was thrust straight in during his rookie season and showed steely nerves even at such a young age. In a 13-year stint with the Pats, becoming the all-time leader in franchise history and holds the record for the most consecutive successful extra-point attempts in the NFL.

Jamie Collins

The outside linebacker wasn’t a star in the mold of those we’ve already mentioned, but he was no less vital to the Pats in the road to winning Super Bowl XLIX. He had a slow start to his career in Foxborough, starting as a backup to Dont’a Hightower and Jerod Mayo, but his determination shone through, and within a year, he was in the starting lineup. Collins had his best season, recording over 115 tackles, four sacks, four fumbles, and two interceptions in 15 starts in the season running up to the Super Bowl win. He’s now in his third spell with the Pats after returning from the Lions. Upon his return to Massachusetts in 2021, Collins proved he’d lost none of his defensive awareness when he sacked Texan’s quarterback Davis Mills in the victory in Houston earlier in the season.