One could look at the Patriots' 2020 draft class and deduce that their priority in the immediate post-Brady era is to build a strong defense. If that is indeed the case, I disagree with the strategy.
The Patriots went defense with their first three picks. Then they went with a pair of tight ends in the late third, a kicker and a guard in the fifth, a tackle and a linebacker in the sixth and a center in seventh.
So the headline: defense.
Or, if you'd like: defense ... and no receivers in what was believed to be perhaps the deepest receiver class.
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We learned last year (and probably should have been learning for years now) that a good offense is far more important than a good defense in today's NFL.
The Patriots had the No. 1 defense in the NFL last season. They were No. 15 in offense, and we saw what happened to them. The teams in the Super Bowl were Nos. 4 (San Francisco) and 6 (Kansas City) in total offense. The year before, the Super Bowl teams were the Rams and Patriots, both of whom boasted top-five offenses. The year before that? Offenses No. 1 and 7. And before that? Nos. 2 and 4.
So over the last four years, all eight Super Bowl teams were in the top seven for offense that season. Know how many were in the top seven in defense? Two: last year's 49ers and the 2017 Eagles.
Meanwhile, we just saw the Chiefs win the Super Bowl with the No. 17 defense. They followed the 2018 Patriots, who won it all with the No. 21 defense. Here are the defensive rankings of the last eight Super Bowl participants:
New England Patriots
49ers (2) vs. Chiefs (17)
Patriots (21) vs. Rams (19)
Patriots (29) vs. Eagles (4)
Patriots (8) vs. Falcons (25)
Defense matters greatly. But it's clear that it doesn't matter nearly as much as offense. That No. 2 defense the 49ers had lost because it went up against Patrick Mahomes.
So while the Patriots had some big losses on defense this offseason and can anticipate more in the future, I would have prioritized offense. Two tight ends in the third round? Great (even though the Patriots stink at taking tight ends outside of the first two rounds). But imagine if those picks followed, say, a receiver -- which everyone said was the strength of this draft -- in the second or third.
Between the Patriots' original pick at No. 23 and where they eventually made their first pick at No. 37, three receivers went: Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr. Between their picks at No. 37 and No. 60, five receivers (Laviska Shenault, KJ Hamler, Chase Claypool, Van Jefferson and Denzel Mims) were selected, as was tight end Cole Kmet.
We've already played the game with the receivers the Patriots passed up that went in the second round last year. We'll be playing a similar game with this group because you know at least two or three of those guys are going to be quite good.
I'm not saying they should have gone offense only. If safety Kyle Dugger, whom I like, is your favorite player at No. 37, take him. But if the Patriots were going to take a "throw multiple darts early" approach, they should have thrown at least one of them at offense before their fourth pick.