This wise strategy begins before the season even begins, with who the Patriots select to be on their team in the NFL draft. Unlike many other teams, which pursue prized players like puzzle pieces and sometimes trade away multiple players and draft picks to get them, the Patriots tend to diversify. Like investors putting their money into a range of stocks rather than going for broke on a couple, the Patriots regularly trade away their higher picks in the first round for more selections in the 2nd and 3rd rounds (there are seven rounds in total.) This is right in line with what economists Cade Massey and Richard Thaler found in a study they published back in 2005. The duo showed that players selected in the first round receive outsized salaries for what they actually accomplish. At the same time, players in the second and third rounds tend to be paid much less but still perform nearly as well on the playing field…
Over the past fifteen seasons, the Patriots have selected 39 players in the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft, more than any other team in their conference. Over that timespan, their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins, the New York Jets, and the Buffalo Bills, have respectively selected 31, 24, and 28 second- or third-rounders. Perhaps that’s why the Patriots have dominated them year after year?
The Patriots’ numbers savvy plays out in other ways as well. For example, under longtime coach Bill Belichick, they’ve almost exclusively employed left-footed punters. This may seem strange at first glance, but it makes a ton of sense when you consider statistics compiled by Sports Illustrated…
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