B
New England Patriots
A respectable, level-headed haul for the Patriots: B.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
The Patriots went off the board in a big way for Javontae Jean-Baptiste, 34 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another.
Landing McCaffrey that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. The safety hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
They will answer for taking OLB-EDGE early while safety and quarterback went begging.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
Fair-plus on Rome Odunze, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
In the Round 1 slot they get a blindside protector. A real need, handled.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Brian Thomas Jr. at the 34th pick. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid sticker price for Chris Braswell in pick 43, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A straight-up fair deal on Xavier Legette at slot 68, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
By-the-book stuff, Blake Fisher at pick No. 70 squarely in line with his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
No drama and no debate, Michael Hall Jr. went about where he belonged in the 76th overall pick. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They took Matt Goncalves at par in the 103rd pick, which is nothing to complain about. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Braelon Allen at Round 4, Pick 5 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A need, and now a little less of one.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending No. 111 on Javon Solomon with safety and quarterback unsolved.
The board had cheaper options than Theo Johnson at slot 113, and it noticed. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They did well to land Mohamed Kamara in the Round 5 slot, just ahead of his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Steal is underselling it; Elijah Jones at pick 138 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A reach for AJ Barner in pick No. 157; a little patience would have been rewarded. The roster fit checks out.
They will replay Luke McCaffrey at the 177th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Julian Pearl. It does not line up with the team's obvious holes.
A wild overpay on Javontae Jean-Baptiste in Round 6, Pick 8, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They jumped the gun on Myles Cole, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jaylen Harrell at pick 207 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Caedan Wallace in the Round 7 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Eric Watts in the 232nd pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.