C
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Jacobs fall and pounced. Final grade: C.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
Somebody in Round 7, Pick 11 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Curtis Jacobs, the No. 197 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. A weekend of give and take that grades a C.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
They are betting Wallace proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
Hit on Joe Alt and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 3 they get a plug-and-play piece up front. A real need, handled.
J.J. McCarthy at slot 34 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A wild overpay on Brenden Rice in No. 79, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Khyree Jackson at the 88th overall pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
By-the-book stuff, Zak Zinter at pick No. 103 squarely in line with his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Braelon Allen. A need, and now a little less of one.
Johnny Wilson slid further than he should have, and Round 5, Pick 1 is lovely value for the wide receiver. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They took Dwight McGlothern at par in the Round 5 slot, which is nothing to complain about. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
No drama and no debate, Marist Liufau went about where he belonged in No. 159. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Luke McCaffrey at pick 160 is the proof. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid sticker price for Jordan Jefferson in the Round 6 slot, and that is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A conviction pick on Julian Pearl at pick No. 189 that the board grades a round light. Where it fits the depth chart is the real question.
Caedan Wallace at slot 193 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A premium they did not need to pay, Javontae Jean-Baptiste a notch or two before his time. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Joe Milton III in the 213th pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board fumbled Curtis Jacobs all the way to Round 7, Pick 11, and they scooped it up. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Nothing to complain about; Josh Proctor went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They paid up for Ethan Driskell at No. 254 when waiting would have done the job. The roster fit checks out.