Image courtesy of @PatMcAfeeShow
Well, this could be fun.
Pat McAfee announced on his show Wednesday that Bill Belichick will be joining his live broadcast during the draft. Belichick joined McAfee on the show and talked about the opportunity to still be front and center talking ball in front of the world next Thursday night.
“Well, I’m looking forward to it…draft day, draft weekend is always an exciting time for everybody,” Belichick said. “For the teams that are building their teams, for the fans and everybody involved in it. So, it’s a great event and I’m looking forward to seeing it from the other side in Detroit, being with you guys and get your expertise.”
This has the potential to be excellent television.
Belichick has proven he can be quite engaging in the right situation. This is an opportunity for Belichick – if he does want to coach again – to not only show his personality, but he can also provide some legitimate insight into war room thinking. He’s still kept up with the recent class and whether you’ve agreed with his draft decisions the last few years or not, in this particular setting, he should be very informative and entertaining.
Even after turning 72 on Tuesday.
“Yeah, we called the fire department yesterday to put the candles out,” he quipped. “It’s sort of like what I’ve been doing, watching the players, specifically the ones that might be in our show. The guys in the top part of the draft. But, the first round leads into the second round and there’s a lot of correlation there, so we’ll talk about that next Thursday night. So, yeah, just trying to do some preparation and follow up. I watched a lot of these guys in the fall, even some last year when they were juniors, or when they…they weren’t coming out, but they were still factors in evaluating the players in the ’23 draft.
“So, it’s just kind of an ongoing process and yeah, it’s fun to keep up with, I always enjoy this part of the season.”
We got a sneak preview of what things might sound like when Belichick was asked about offensive tackle and receivers…two positions the Patriots just happen to be in desperate need of.
“I definitely think there’s a lot of depth at those two positions,” he said. “They should go deep into the first round and probably carry over into the second round. I imagine there are teams at the top of the draft that are looking at filling one position in the first round and then either coming back and getting a wide receiver or tackle in the second round, assuming someone will be left.
“But, you never know, the draft’s always full of a lot of surprises It could go a lot of different directions. It doesn’t look like a lot of tight ends or running backs at the top of the draft. And then, defensively, probably not the same depth on the board that there was last year or the last couple years, at least not at the top…it’ll always be interesting to see how things work out and trades can skew it a little bit. But, overall, as usual, a lot of good young prospects.”
Belichick also gave a little spoiler in terms of inside-the-room thinking throughout this week leading up to Night 1 that was gold, Jerry, gold. (Seinfeld reference for those that don’t get it).
“I would say at this point in time, a little over a week from the first round, I think teams are probably starting to really get things pulled together now,” he added. “There’s just a ton of information that comes in there in March and April and all your scouts are out…probably, at least a dozen scouts on every team, so multiply all the information times 12 or so. Reports coming in, new information and then on top of that you’ve got the medical, you’ve got security. You’ve got all the scouts’ reports being complied and accumulated. Now, this last week or 10 days or so is where you really sit as an organization and sort through it and sift it out.
“There’s always a little bit of contradiction, but you’ve got to figure out where you’re going to place your chips, what you’re going to believe, what you’re not going to believe and I’d say the biggest news makers here – quietly – are the agents. Nobody wants their player to get picked hire than them. So, a lot of the information that comes to the media about who’s going to draft who, how high they’re gonna go is a lot of media driven.”
Next Thursday’s broadcast with Belichick – especially when the Pats are on the clock or if they trade down – should be must-see TV.