New England Patriots Drafted Players Development: Summary

Here's a compilation of the articles in this series:

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Offensive Line

Defensive Line

Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

Coaches

Summary Points:

• In order for a player to succeed, they need 3 years with the SAME positional coach. If a player has under 3 years and a coach leaves, odds are that player won't be an above average player. (exceptions: Bethel Johnson had 3 years with a coach and flopped. Richard Seymour had three different offensive line coaches in his first 4 seasons and ended up well)
• The longer a coach is with the team, the better the draft picks. At the end of Mangini's stay as DB coach, the Patriots drafted Eugene Wilson and Asante Samuel. At the end of Crennel's stay, we draft players like Ty Warren and Richard Seymour. Dante Scarneccia has done a consistently great job of drafting talent. I believe the longer a coach is in the system, the more sway he has with the draft room. He's able to take players he believe will fit their system- and they know the system best. With such rapid turnover of coaches in the middle of the decade (6 coaching changes between '04 and '06), that could be a reason for our weak drafts- a lack of more specific knowledge could have led to drafting players wrong for the position.
• Just like players need 3 years with a coach in order to have the greatest success, coaches, too, need 3 years in the system before they succeed.
  
• Coordinators need two years in the system before being named coordinator. McDaniels served under Weis for a year, was a QB coach and unofficial OC for a year and then became OC in his third year. Mangini was a DB coach for a while under Crennel before being promoted to DC. Pees spent a few years as the LB coach before getting his promotion. It wouldn't surprise me if Bill O'Brien was named offensive coordinator before the season.
• Out of the 79 draftees this past decade (not including 2010), 43 of them saw considerable playing time. That's 54.4%.
  
• 29 players can be considered successful players in the NFL. That's a 36.7% success rate.
  
• 20 players were injured before, during, or right after their rookie seasons. That's a 25% clip.
• That means 20, or so players got straight up cut without playing a snap for the Patriots. That's also 25%.
• That means, also, that 75% of our draft picks stick around on our roster for at least a season. That's pretty good.

Thanks for reading, and please take a look at the articles!