B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots worked the phones like thieves and earned a B+.
by Smonze ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Patriots started one anyway for Sedrick Van Pran, 45 picks ahead of schedule.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a load in the middle. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They did well to land Graham Barton in No. 34, just ahead of his grade. It fills a real need, too.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Sedrick Van Pran well ahead of where he belonged. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They jumped the gun on Jalen McMillan, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A wild overpay on Ben Sinnott in the 103rd pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The roster fit checks out.
A premium they did not need to pay, Braelon Allen a notch or two before his time. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
AJ Barner at the Round 6 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A slide stopped in No. 200, with JD Bertrand worth more than the price. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Joshua Cephus in slot 224 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Taulia Tagovailoa at pick 232 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It patches a soft spot without any drama.