By TomE. Curran
CSNNE.com
We all knew that the trade-happy Patriots would be pleased with the chance to wheel andor deal in the 2011 draft. Bill Belichick confirmed Monday that the opportunities to do so are already stacking up. "We've definitely been contacted by teams below us offering to move back, and by teams behind us looking to move up," Belichick said in an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday via the USA Today football blog, The Huddle. "There definitely seems to be a lot of interest in our draft picks. And as you know we're not afraid to trade them."The ironic thing is, quite often, the Patriots get the better of the teams they deal with. The rare exception may be the deal that netted them this year's 17th pick. The Patriots got that from Oakland in exchange for Richard Seymour in an early September 2009 deal.Even though thePatriots weren't likely to retain Seymour after the 2009 season, even though they got a first-round pick in exchange that could still turn into a perennial All-Pro, Seymour was missed in 2009 (again, you can't assume 2010). Other than that, New England wins. Last year, for instance, the Panthers wanted to deal up for quarterback Armanti Edwards in the third round. So they sent a 2011 second-rounder to New England in exchange for the Pats' spot in the third round. Now the Patriots are sitting at 33 with the Panthers pick and Carolina was the worst team in football last year and seemingly on the verge of selecting another quarterback with the first overall pick. Tom E. Curran can be reached at tcurran@comcastsportsnet.com.Follow Tom on Twitter at http:twitter.comtomecurran