NFL draft shows that contenders are still chasing the Patriots

Let's face it. As long as 65-year-old Bill Belichick and soon-to-be 40-year-old Tom Brady like winning more than retiring, 31 teams will have to go through New England to get to Super Bowl LII in Minnesota, Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, Super Bowl LIV in Miami …

That came to mind Saturday while punch-drunk TV analysts tried to stay focused on Rounds 4 through 7 of the NFL draft.

The reigning Super Bowl champs weren't a hot topic Saturday or at any point during the three-day draft. They made only four picks, none of which came higher than the third round.

But …

Look out. The Patriots still got better by turning their first-round pick into productive 23-year-old Saints receiver Brandin Cooks; their second-round pick into 25-year-old Panthers pass rusher Kony Ealy; and their fourth-round pick into established 27-year-old Colts tight end Dwayne Allen. They also traded a fifth-round pick on Saturday for promising 25-year-old Chiefs tight end James O'Shaughnessy, and likely found gems in the later rounds, as they typically do.

So let's take a small leap and suggest the Patriots still have the inside track on hoisting their sixth Lombardi Trophy at U.S. Bank Stadium next February. The question then becomes how their nearest competitors did during the draft.

Here's a very early look …

The team that surrendered Brady's historic fourth-quarter Super Bowl comeback signed defensive tackle Dontari Poe in free agency, traded up for Michigan pass rusher Takkarist McKinley and went defense with three of their first four picks. Pairing McKinley with Vic Beasley in passing situations will be impressive. Atlanta also got the guard it needed with Oregon State's Sean Harlow in the fourth round. Summary: The NFC still goes through Atlanta.

Green Bay certainly knows who it has to go through to get to the Super Bowl. After giving up 44 points in a blowout loss to the Falcons in last year's NFC title game, they used their first four picks on defensive players. The first pick was a 6-3 cornerback (Kevin King) and the second pick was a 220-pound safety (Josh Jones). Summary: They're loading up for another crack at Julio Jones.

The other Final Four team from last year gave up 31 points in a blowout loss to the Patriots in the AFC title game. Their biggest need was a pass rusher. Does first-round pick T.J. Watt meet that need? It's debatable. Pittsburgh also will get nothing this year out of quarterback Joshua Dobbs, their fourth-round pick, and little from taking a long snapper in the sixth round. Summary: Not sold on Watt, and one has to wonder if the Steelers needed to go receiver in the second round. Maybe the Steelers can overwhelm the Patriots' pass defense with USC's JuJu Smith-Schuster lining up along with Antonio Brown, Sammie Coates and recently-reinstated Martavis Bryant.

Dallas earned the NFC's top seed with a remarkably young and successful offense last year. Then the playoffs started and the Cowboys gave up 34 points in a one-and-done home loss to the Packers. They needed a pass rusher in particular and defenders in general. They took Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton in the first round. They went defense with their top three picks, seven of nine overall, and landed four defensive backs. Summary: If the Cowboys don't have enough defense to keep pace with Atlanta and Green Bay, it's not for a lack of effort in this year's draft.

These, of course, aren't the only candidates for a trip to Minneapolis in February. In 1998, the Rams went 4-12. A year later, they won Super Bowl XXXIV.

But it's never easy for any team to elbow ahead of Belichick. In a draft that will be remembered for a record 39 trades, Belichick again was ahead of his peers when he dealt for Cooks, Ealy and Allen a month ago.

During the draft, Belichick traded down once and up twice. Using four picks that originally belonged to other teams, he landed two defensive ends and two offensive tackles. His top pick was a defensive end from Youngstown State. His top tackle played at Troy.

Yet does anyone doubt those guys can play?

A year ago, Belichick picked Joe Thuney in the third round and Malcolm Mitchell in the fourth round. No one "oohed'' or "awed.''

Thuney started 19 games at left guard. Mitchell caught six balls for 70 yards in the Super Bowl.

We don't need to hear praise from punch-drunk analysts to know the Patriots used this draft well enough to keep them out front on the road to winning Super Bowl LII.

Mark Craig is an NFL and Vikings Insider. Twitter: @markcraigNFL E-mail: mcraig@startribune.com