A
New England Patriots
Grand theft in slot 91: the Patriots steal Melton and grade out a A.
by Biggs7079 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 14 steals
· 0 reaches
The real work happened on the phones. The Patriots fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with. This is how you run a draft, and the A reflects it.
The Melton steal is the beam this whole class leans on. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
It is not that Melton is a bad player; it is that the Patriots had louder needs to answer first.
Bottom line, they left the weekend a clearly better team, and they earned every bit of it.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 5 they get a weapon on the perimeter at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Nice patience on Amarius Mims, who had no business lasting to pick No. 34. The roster fit checks out.
The board fumbled Cooper DeJean all the way to the 37th pick, and they scooped it up. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Steal is underselling it; Keon Coleman at the 57th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Kingsley Suamataia in the Round 3 slot. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They will replay Junior Colson at pick 69 for years; that is how good the value is. A minor itch, scratched.
They took Jaylen Wright at par in pick No. 79, which is nothing to complain about. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose cornerback. Max Melton in Round 3, Pick 28 leaves edge rusher and interior defensive lineman for later.
A quiet steal in the Round 4 slot: Blake Corum for less than the market said. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They robbed the room for Renardo Green here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jordan Travis is a better player than the 168th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Dallin Holker in pick 179 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Luke McCaffrey in the 186th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They read the board right and Nathaniel Watson was the payoff at No. 219. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Tyrice Knight slid further than he should have, and the 231st overall pick is lovely value for the linebacker. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Frank Gore Jr. at slot 246 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.