2013 the Beginning of the end
Super Bowl wins in '14, '16, '18 masks the story of talent depletion. I am now convinced more than ever that Brady made up for BB's failures in drafting during theses SB's. An honest retrospective shows that 2013 was the beginning of the end for the Patriots dynasty. We (at least I) couldn't see it at the time, but hindsight allows us to examine the draft trends over the twenty plus years of BB's reign.
Parcels/Carroll Regimes - 8 pro bowlers
First, let's acknowledge that BB inherited 11 pro bowlers from the Parcels/Carroll regimes. Of these, 8 were on the roster in 2001 and made up most of the core for the next several years. These players undoubtedly gave BB a jump start. They were all pro bowlers, Bledsoe, Brown, Woody, McGinest, Bruschi, Law, Milloy, Vinatieri
Dynasty Part 1 - 17 pro bowlers
Over the first 13 years ('00-'12), BB drafted 17 pro bowlers. These were added to the core group that BB had inherited from the previous regime. Brady, Gronk, Cassel, Light, Koppen, Mankins, Seymour, Wilfork, Jones, Hightower, Mayo, Samuel, Meriweather, McCourty, Gostkowski, Slater, Develin. What's notable about this group that as the original core from the previous regime started to leave in FA/retire/get traded, there were plenty of quality guys from these drafts to step in and fill the gap. During this period, the Pats had as few as 10 and as many as 16 pro bowlers on each squad. 5 super bowl appearances, 3 wins, 1 perfect regular season
Dynasty Part 2 - 3 pro bowlers
2013 was the beginning of the end. From '13 to '23, BB's drafts have produced only 3 pro bowlers thus far. Collins, Thuney, Jones (replacement) Only one is on the current team and his future is very uncertain. Digging in a little deeper, '19 (Brady's last year) there were 8 pro bowlers (from previous drafts) on the team. After Brady left, there were only 4 from '20-'22. It's incredible how Brady and a small core of players not only kept it all from falling apart, but actually won 3 super bowls.
So here we are. The point in all of this is that a reset now is very different from what we experienced in 2001. Then, the "previous regime' players gave the reset a jump start. Now, with so few pro bowl players on the team, we are looking at at least 3 years before we can even begin to compete, and that's with good drafts. As much as I appreciate BB for all he has done, I have my doubts about his ability to build a sustainable roster through the draft.
Sorry for nerding out on this subject but I have been wanting to get this drafting issue off my chest for some time. Drafting in Dynasty Part 1 was terrific. Drafting in Part 2 was horrific and explains why we are where we are. Hope this was helpful.