B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Milton III fall and pounced. Final grade: B+.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 4 steals
· 6 reaches
Somebody in pick No. 231 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Joe Milton III, the No. 200 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B+.
They will regret leaving interior defensive lineman for another day if the season turns on it. Spending an early pick on OLB-EDGE with interior defensive lineman open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to. They will need Guerendo to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the interior defensive lineman spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a home-run threat at receiver. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Amarius Mims in the 34th overall pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
They paid sticker price for Keon Coleman in slot 43, and that is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They took Patrick Paul at par in pick 68, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A straight-up fair deal on Blake Fisher at pick No. 72, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
By-the-book stuff, Cam Hart at the 104th pick squarely in line with his ranking. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They bypassed pressing needs at interior defensive lineman to take Javon Solomon, an OLB-EDGE that was not the priority.
Cedric Gray at No. 111 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They went early on Isaac Guerendo in the Round 4 slot, and the value did not follow. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Justin Eboigbe at the 135th pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A reach on Jalyx Hunt in No. 137; the board had better options right there. Need-wise, a curious use of the pick.
The board had Dwight McGlothern higher than pick No. 177, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They jumped the gun on Cornelius Johnson, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
No edge and no loss on Caedan Wallace in slot 208; it is a wash and a sensible one. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Trey Knox in pick 223 is fair value, right on his grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Circle this one: Joe Milton III at Round 7, Pick 11 is a fall that decides a draft. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Josh Proctor in No. 234 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Bub Means at pick 253 is the proof. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.