B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots answered their biggest question with Maye. Grade: B+.
by Pat4082 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 4 steals
· 0 reaches
The search is over. The Patriots handed the keys to Drake Maye, and the whole operation now runs on his development. More right than wrong, and a B+ to match.
Legette falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. Nathan Shepherd gives the group a proven body among the projects.
A modest surplus at the table, banked quietly.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 3 they get the face of the franchise at fair value. A real need, handled.
No edge and no loss on Patrick Paul in the 45th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
You do not let a wide receiver like Xavier Legette reach slot 71 and blink. They did not. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Johnny Wilson at the 103rd pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid sticker price for Cam Hart in the Round 5 slot, and that is fine. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Nathan Thomas in No. 182 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Jared Wiley in Round 7, Pick 4 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The roster fit checks out.
Isaiah Williams at pick 232 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.