Looking Back: The Hits And Misses Of Patriots 2015 Draft Class
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Our look back at Patriots drafts of yesteryear continues with a look at 2015. Like the 2014 NFL Draft, this wasn't a great one for Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
The Patriots made 11 picks in 2015, and currently, only two remain on the roster: Shaq Mason and Joe Cardona. Both of those picks came after the fourth round.
It was clear that Belichick's focus was on defense in 2015, drafting seven defensive players over three days. But only two of those players had any sort of positive impact on the team, making the 2015 draft a frustrating one for New England.
Rd. 1, No. 32: Malcom Brown, DT
Brown was seen as a gift to the Patriots, projected to go sometime in the middle of the first round. Some mock drafts has him in the Top 10. The fact he slid to No. 32 to New England was bemoaned around the league.
Brown started 12-14 games every year with the Patriots and provided a big-bodied anchor along the defensive line, winning a pair of Super Bowls in New England. He wasn't a flashy player, but he did the job. That's what you want out of the final pick of the first-round. But he's no longer in New England, signing a three-year, $15 million deal with the Saints last offseason. He started all 16 games for the New Orleans in 2019.
There were impact players to be had at No. 32, as DE/LB Preston Smith (No. 38) and linebacker Benardrick McKinney (No. 43) went shortly after the second round kicked off, but Brown was a solid starter for the Patriots for four years.
Verdict: Pretty Good
Rd. 2, No. 64: Jordan Richards, S
Along with Tavon Wilson (2012) and Ras-I Dowling (2011), Richards is a defensive back that Belichick drafted a lot earlier than anyone projected. None of those three worked out, and proved to be costly misses by Bill.
More of a cerebral player than a talented one, "Coach Richards" -- as he was dubbed at Stanford -- played mostly on special teams in his initial three-year stint with the Patriots. That would have been fine if he was drafted when most pundits believed he would go, sometime in the sixth or seventh round. But he was a second-round pick, joining a long line of baaaaad second-round selections by Belichick in recent years. Richards was traded to the Falcons for a seventh-round pick in 2018, and then brought back briefly -- extremely briefly -- last October.
Though the focus was defense in 2015, wide receiver Tyler Lockett went five picks after Richards. He probably would have helped a lot more over the last few years.
Verdict: Woof
Rd. 3, No. 97 : Geneo Grissom, DE
Another player drafted waaaaaaayyyyyyy too early, Grissom played 38 games for the Patriots over three-plus seasons. Like Richards, most of his snaps came on special teams. You usually want a little more out of a third-round pick.
Verdict: Miss
Rd. 4, No. 101: Trey Flowers, DE
Flowers was great for the Patriots, a devastating monster along their defensive line for three of his four seasons in New England. He won a pair of Super Bowls during his time with the Patriots, and then got a lot of money from the Detroit Lions as a free agent. Because of that, Belichick has a third-round compensatory pick in this year's draft.
Verdict: BIG HIT
Rd. 4, No. 111: Tre' Jackson, G
Jackson played just one season in New England, with his NFL career essentially coming to an end due to a knee injury at the end of his rookie year. This miss doesn't hurt as much because of New England's next pick in 2015, but it's an unfortunate miss nonetheless.
Verdict: Miss
Rd. 4, No. 131: Shaq Mason, G
Mason has been a big part of New England's offensive line since being drafted. After starting 10 of his 14 games as a rookie, he played in all 16 games in both 2017 and 2018, starting all but one of those contests. He played 100 percent of New England's offensive snaps in 2017, and was given a five-year contract extension ahead of the 2018 season.
Verdict: Solid Pick
Rd. 5, No. 166: Joe Cardona, LS
Teams usually don't draft long snappers in the fifth round, especially one that is coming out of Navy and also has some military duties to serve. But Bill Belichick doesn't draft like your usual NFL GM.
Projected to be a seventh-round pick or go undrafted, Cardona was seen as a giant reach. But he has been solid on New England's special teams, since you rarely ever hear his name. He's also a stand-up guy.
Verdict: A reach, but at least Cardona is a good player/great dude
Rd. 6, No. 178: Matthew Wells, LB
I do not know who Matthew Wells is. Probably because the Patriots traded him to the Bears four months after drafting him.
Rd. 6. No. 202: A.J. Derby, TE
Derby played four games for the Patriots, but caught zero passes. He was traded to Denver in 2016.
Rd. 7, No. 247: Daryl Roberts, DB
Roberts was placed on IR before the 2015 season and was waived in 2016 before ever playing a game with the Patriots. He has gone on to play 56 games for the New York Jets, including 26 starts.
Rd. 7, No. 253: Xzavier Dickson, LB
See: Matthew Wells, minus the trade to the Bears.
2015 Verdict: Not Great
The 2015 draft featured more misses than hits for the Patriots, but at least Belichick made up for it on the undrafted free agent market. It was there that he stole eventual starting center David Andrews, found a solid nickel corner in Justin Coleman, and scooped up special teams thumper Brandon King. Andrews and King remain on the roster, which is impressive considering only two of Belichick's draft picks remain in 2020.
