Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Has Asked Roger Goodell For First Round Pick Back

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has revealed that he wrote a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell outlining reasons Kraft believes his team should recover it’s forfeited pick.

Goodell forced the Patriots to forgo their first round pick this year as punishment over the Deflategate scandal, which claims Patriots quarterback Tom Brady knew that the footballs the team used in the 2015 AFC Championship Game were under NFL inflation regulations.  The Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7 and went on to win the Super Bowl.

In addition to the forfeited first round pick, the Patriots also lost their fourth round pick in 2017, plus the team was fined $1 million, the largest team fine in league history.  Brady was also initially suspended for the first four games of the 2015-16 season, but the suspension was overturned by Judge Richard M. Berman.

Kraft did not say whether or not Goodell responded, but odds are the draft pick will not be returned to the Patriots.  The NFL has announced it will appeal the decision to overturn the suspension, so it is possible the Patriots could lose their picks and lose Brady for the first four games of the upcoming season.

Should the Patriots receive their pick back, the team has needs at cornerback, running back, and wide receiver.  Players like cornerbacks Eli Apple and William Jackson III, receivers Josh Doctson and Corey Coleman, and running back Derrick Henry that fill those needs could be an option at pick number 29.