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Bill Belichick’s bust won’t be added to the Hall of Fame this year, but his fingerprints are all over Super Bowl 2026.
Despite the removal of several big-name Belichick additions over the course of this season — cutting Kendrick Bourne and Jabrill Peppers, and trading Kyle Dugger and Keion White — the former czar added 16 of the 53 players on the Patriots’ Super Bowl 2026 roster during his reign as head coach and general manager (2000-23).
And, of course, Belichick’s influence is seen in protégé head coach Mike Vrabel’s rules-mastery game management.
“Bill’s roster building was questioned as people lined up to take shots at him,” Ole Miss head coach of offense Joe Judge, a longtime Belichick assistant, told The Post, “but it’s clear the mix of high-investment draft picks and free agents he acquired, along with the mid- and late-round picks now truly build the depth of the roster. You can still see the vision he had in this year’s Super Bowl, and Vrabel has done a phenomenal job — to say the least. He is doing things the right way.”
Let’s take a closer look:
Draft picks (10)
RB Rhamondre Stevenson (2021 fourth-rounder)
The former 1,000-yard rusher under Belichick is part of a timeshare with TreVeyon Henderson. Stevenson’s touches are down but he had 948 yards from scrimmage and was the 25-carry workhorse in the AFC Championship game.
WR DeMario Douglas (2023 sixth-rounder)
Douglas’ numbers slipped to career-lows of 31 catches for 447 yards but his yards per target jumped to a career-best 9.7. He offers some innovative rushing ability, too.
WR Kayshon Boutte (2023 sixth-rounder)
A healthy scratch for eight straight games as a rookie, Boutte emerged with a second straight productive season. He was among the league leaders with 16.7 yards per catch, and he scored six touchdowns.
OL Mike Onwenu (2020 sixth-rounder)
One of the NFL’s most undervalued blockers, Onwenu played exclusively right guard but has lined up at tackle in the past. He allowed two sacks and one other quarterback hit, living up to his three-year, $57 million extension.
DT Christian Barmore (2021 second-rounder)
Blood clots sidelined Barmore for most of 2024 and left him with 11 career starts through four seasons. Barmore took on a bigger role under Vrabel, though he only has one career season with more than three sacks (eight in 2023).
OLB Anfernee Jennings (2020 third-rounder)
Re-signed during Jerod Mayo’s only offseason as head coach (2024), Jennings started 30 games in 2023-24 but was a backup (two sacks) this season to free-agent additions Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson. He is the longest-tenured Patriot by one day over Onwenu.
LB Marte Mapu (2023 third-rounder)
A hybrid linebacker-safety, Mapu’s defensive role was reduced to 120 snaps across 17 games but he remained a core special-teamer.
CB Christian Gonzalez (2023 first-rounder)
One of Belichick’s last shrewd moves was trading from No. 14 to No. 17 to mess with the Jets’ chances to draft an offensive tackle and still winding up with a Pro Bowler who some scouts thought was the best cornerback in the class. His fourth career interception sealed the AFC Championship game.
CB Marcus Jones (2022 third-rounder)
The part-time starting cornerback (22 career) is electric with the ball in his hands. The two-time All-Pro returner has scored four touchdowns (two pick-sixes and two punt returns) this season.
P Bryce Baringer (2023 sixth-rounder)
He punted nearly half as often this season (51) as in his rookie season — thanks to a better offense — but averaged 40.6 net yards with 41.2 percent of his kicks inside the 20-yard line.
“In Stevenson and Onwenu, Bill was able to see their upside but knew investment into their development would pay off big,” Judge said. “Jennings and Boutte slid down a lot of draft boards after high grades entering their final year of college, but he had conviction that they would fit and develop into significant (pieces).”
“Gonzalez and Barmore — despite internal debates between them and other players in the draft — he made the final decisions to know they would be the future at impact positions for the defense.”
Trades/Free agents (6)
TE Hunter Henry (2021)
Before the Patriots’ $364 million free agent spending spree in 2025 was a jackpot, their $290 million outlay in 2021 was a bust. Only Henry remains, and he just had a 10-year career high of 768 receiving yards plus 10 touchdowns as Drake Maye’s security blanket.
OT Vederian Lowe (2023)
Acquired from the Vikings just before training-camp cuts because three other backups were injured, Lowe was a full-time starter in 2024. He was back in his best-suited role as a backup (four starts) and extra blocker in short yardage under Vrabel.
LB Christian Elliss (2023)
Consider him a parting gift.The third-to-last player added by Belichick played in four late-season games and re-signed during Mayo’s reign. He broke out this season with 94 tackles — including one that alerted Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart to the benefits of sliding — and a forced fumble in 15 games.
LB Jahlani Tavai (2021)
After back-to-back 100-tackle seasons, Tavai missed five games and didn’t start five others as he adjusted to a new system prioritizing speed. He was the team’s recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award after overcoming multiple off-field hardships.
CB Alex Austin (2023)
Signed after he was cut by the Bills and Texans, Austin has spent time on injured reserve the last two seasons. When healthy, he has provided depth (two starts in 2024) on defense and special teams.
S Brenden Schooler (2022)
Belichick always prided himself on uncovering undrafted gems like Schooler, to the point that he had 18 on the 53-man roster for the 2017 season Super Bowl. Schooler leads the Patriots in special teams snaps over the last four seasons and was a 2024 First-Team All-Pro.
“Schooler and Jones were taken for immediate special teams value,” Judge said, “but you are seeing their development carry them into defensive players. It’s great to see the Patriots back in the Super Bowl.”
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