Bill Belichick explains Patriots’ pre-draft trade with Texans originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots made a minor move on Monday as they prepare for the 2022 NFL Draft.
They sent a fifth-round pick (No. 170 overall) to the Houston Texans in exchange for a sixth-rounder (No. 183) and a seventh (No. 245). Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who jokingly called the trade a “blockbuster,” explained the thinking that went behind the deal in a 1-on-1 with Scott Zolak.
“It gives us kind of a two-for-one situation there,” Belichick said, via Patriots.com. “We felt like it was really about positioning. The trade was numerically equal.”
Perry’s seven-round mock draft: Patriots pull off two trades
The Patriots now enter draft weekend with nine total selections. Barring any other trades, this is what their collection of picks looks like:
Round 1: No. 21
Round 2: No. 54
Round 3: No. 85
Round 4: No. 127
Round 5: No. 158
Round 6: Nos. 183, 200, 210
Round 7: No. 245
With one night left to look over this year’s draft class, Belichick and the Patriots hope they’ve done enough studying to ace the test.
“This is like the proverbial final exam,” Belichick told Zolak. “We’ll see what the questions are, and hopefully we’re prepared to answer them.”
The NFL Draft kicks off Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.