Why Did Patriots Decide to Trade Out of First Round?

What made Bill Belichick decide to not make a Day 1 selection this year?

On Day 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft, there were 32 selections made, but none were by the New England Patriots. They decided to trade the 23rd overall pick to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for the 37th and 71st overall selections. 

It was a very standard move by head coach Bill Belichick, who has shown a philosophy over the years for getting an equally talented player early on Day 2 as he could have in the first round. 

But why this year? Why did he decide to trade back?

To answer that question, let's take a look at the top 15 best remaining players on SI.com's big board heading into Day 2 of the NFL Draft:

1. Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU (SR, 6' 0", 197 pounds)

2. Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama (SR, 6' 1", 205 pounds)

3. D’Andre Swift, RB, Georgia (JR, 5' 8", 212 pounds)

4. A.J. Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa (JR, 6' 5", 275 pounds)

5. Grant Delpit, S, LSU (JR, 6' 3", 213 pounds)

6. Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama (JR, 6' 0", 201 pounds)

7. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin (JR, 5' 10", 226 pounds)

8. Josh Jones, OT, Houston (rSR, 6' 5", 319 pounds)

9. Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State (JR, 6' 5", 266 pounds)

10. J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State (JR, 5' 10", 209 pounds)

11. Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson (JR, 6' 4", 216 pounds)

12. Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor (SR, 6' 3", 207 pounds)

13. Zack Baun, LB, Wisconsin (rSR, 6' 2", 238 pounds)

14. Laviska Shenault, WR, Colorado (JR, 6' 1", 227 pounds)

15. Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah (JR, 6' 0", 193 pounds)

Among the best remaining players are several we have heard tied to the Patriots during the pre-draft process: A.J. Epenesa, Grant Delpit, Xavier McKinney, Josh Jones, Yetur Gross-Matos and Zack Baun. Not mentioned in the top 15 is Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet, who is this year's top TE prospect and a viable option for New England at 37 as well. There's also plenty of other talented players still on the board and haven't been connected to New England, but would seemingly make sense as a selection for them: Denzel Mims, Tee Higgins, Trevon Diggs, etc. 

The point of this exercise is to show that the handful of players we may have wanted the six-time Super Bowl champions to draft in the first round are still available. Will they all be available come the 37th pick, which will be the first selection of the draft for the Patriots? Probably not. But it's a small window of opportunity for all those guys to be taken off the draft board, so it's not likely most of them will be gone by the time New England picks. 

Belichick knew those players would be available at this point in the draft, which is why he likely felt that trading back, acquiring more draft ammunition, and then making the pick he would have made in the first round makes way more sense on Day 2. It's a maneuver we've seen him make time and time again in past drafts. 

With four picks in the third and sixth rounds each - and 13 picks total left to use in the remaining two days of the draft -  Bill Belichick is likely not done conducting trades either. Trading back into the second round or higher into the third round could be options if certain players of high value begin to fall on Day 2. That's something to keep an eye on when the draft is underway again on Friday.