Another way to look at it is using the draft points that teams use when considering trades. Look at this chart from 2018 (
2018 NFL Draft Trade Value Chart).
Let's pretend that supplemental picks don't count, and we're just going with these numbers based on 32 selections per round.
A team drafting first in each round is looking at the following values:
3000, 580, 265, 96, 36.5, 21, and 3.4 for a total of 4001.9
Now let's look at a team drafting, say, 16th - middle of each round:
1000, 420, 190, 62, 29.8, 15, and 1 for a total of 1717.8
Now let's look at where the Pats typically draft. If you look at every team's average draft position in the BB/TB era, the Patriots are easily going to be slotted 32nd, because they easily have the best record, year in and year out (though obviously not EVERY SINGLE year, but on average). So let's look at the value points for the 32nd team:
590, 270, 116, 40, 23.4, 8.6, and 1 for a total of 1049.
So the team drafting first has 2,952.9 more draft points to work with. A team drafting middle of the pack has 668.8 more points to work with than the Pats do. To give you a sense of how much that is, consider that 2,952.9 points is basically the value of the #1 overall pick. Or it's worth FOUR second round picks: the first, the second, the third, and the 32nd second round pick.
So if you're drafting first instead of last, the combined extra value you get is equivalent to another #1 pick, OR it's equivalent to adding the #33, #34, #35, and #64 picks to that team picking first. THAT is how much of a deficit the Patriots have been in when it comes to the draft. Imagine giving BB the #1 draft pick every year, or those four second rounders.
But what about the Pats vs. a middle-of-the-pack draft team? Well that middle of the pack team has 668.8 more points to work with than the Pats do. That 669 (we'll call it) is worth the #28 pick in the draft. OR it's worth the last two picks of the second round PLUS the 30th pick of the third round.
Just for ONE draft, this is an enormous draft disadvantage for the Patriots. But when you add this up over *18 seasons*, the Patriots have been drafting at a colossal, massive, gargantuan disadvantage. When people complain that the Pats don't draft well, understand just how big of a drafting disadvantage it is. It's absolutely ENORMOUS, year in and year out.
Now we'll happily live with that because the only way you get to be, over 18 years, in the 32nd position in the draft is by having incredible success. And that's what we've enjoyed. So yeah, we'll happily accept that crummy draft position in exchange for the unparalleled success this franchise has had. But make no mistake - there's a HUGE price to pay for this success. The league is built to take teams like the Patriots down, and the draft is one huge way to do it.
So when we talk about the Pats' relative draft success or failure, understand that BB routinely operates from a massive massive massive draft disadvantage. That HAS to be factored into the equation.