Do the Patriots Regret Trading First Round Pick for Vikings to Select Cordarrelle Patterson?

In the 2013 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots traded away their first round pick to the Minnesota Vikings, the team's opponent this upcoming week. You can be certain we'll be hearing about it.

The pick was the 29th overall, and there were players on the board that could have helped the Patriots. Receiver Cordarrelle Patterson was regarded as the most explosive player in the draft, while strong safeties Matt Elam and Jonathan Cyprien would be perfect complements to Devin McCourty.

The Vikings took Patterson, who made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner in his rookie season. The Patriots had a need at receiver and kick returner, so Patterson likely would've been a welcome addition.

So do the Patriots regret the trade?

No. Definitely no. Absolutely not. Stop it and knock it off.

The Patriots received the Vikings 2nd round pick (52nd overall), 3rd round pick (83rd), 4th round pick (102nd), and 7th round pick (229th) in exchange for the Patriots 1st round pick (29th), who turned into Patterson.

The 52nd pick became Jamie Collins, who is currently one of the Patriots starting linebackers. Collins is regarded as one of the best up-and-coming linebackers and is considered one of the best linebackers from the draft, outside of the Bills' Kiko Alonso (who is missing this season with a torn ACL).

The 83rd pick became Logan Ryan, who earned the nickname "Instant Offense" due to his ability to force turnovers. He knocked Lamar Miller's shoe into next week against the Dolphins, and put together enough of a solid rookie season (his five interceptions led rookie defensive backs) that the Patriots are trying to find ways to put him on the field in a overpopulated secondary depth chart.

The 102nd pick became Josh Boyce, who fell behind the undrafted Kenbrell Thompkins in the depth chart and is currently on the Patriots practice squad. Boyce is a physical prospect who didn't play poorly when he was given the chance- he just fell out because of the numbers game.

The 229th pick was traded to the Buccaneers, alongside the mythical Jeff Demps in exchange for a one-year rental of LeGarrette Blount, who became the team's featured running back for the back stretch of the 2013 season. Blount just signed a quality contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So in exchange for the chance to take Patterson, the Patriots opted to grab a starting linebacker, a starting quality cornerback, a depth wide receiver, and one season of a starting running back.

Patterson plays the "Z" role in the Vikings offense, which lines him up all over the field. That role was occupied by the newly signed Danny Amendola and it should be noted that Aaron Hernandez was still active. The Patriots were really on the market for an "X" receiver to play on the outside of the formation, which the team filled with Aaron Dobson in the second round.

While neither the Patriots, nor the Vikings, would admit that the other team "won" the trade, the Patriots should have no regrets with how everything has played out. They flushed out the depth of their roster while picking up two immediate impact players (both Collins and Ryan forced turnovers in Week 1) as well as a season of Blount.

Bill Belichick would take that trade every time.