1995 named Patriots’ best ever NFL Draft class

The New England Patriots have had quite a few successful draft classes over the years. In 2010, they selected Devin McCourty and Rob Gronkowski with back-to-back picks. In 2003 and 1976, they found four and three multi-year starters (including one Pro Football Hall of Famer). In 2000, the greatest quarterback of all time fell into their laps.

However, none of those was named as the organization’s best rookie group. Instead, Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame makes the case for 1995 in a recent analysis:

New England Patriots

Best draft class: 1995

The right answer might be to type Tom Brady and move on. But looking at the totality of the Patriots’ draft classes across history, the 1995 group stands out.

With Bill Parcells at the helm, New England landed Hall of Famers Ty Law and running back Curtis Martin, along with longtime, standout linebacker Ted Johnson. The group helped the Patriots reach Super Bowl XXXI, with Law and Johnson winning it all in New England five years later.

1995 was indeed a successful draft for New England. Ty Law and Curtis Martin are the big names, with Johnson and four-year staring center Dave Wohlabaugh also worth pointing out.

Is it the team’s best ever draft class, though? The two Hall of Famers are a strong selling point, even though only one — Law — actually contributed in the Patriots’ Super Bowl runs of the early 2000s.