C
New England Patriots
The jury is out on the Patriots. For now, C.
by Jaybeast17 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 4 steals
· 6 reaches
The Patriots treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending pick 31 on Roderick Kearney a full 272 spots early. The good and the questionable cancel out to a C.
They banked enough surplus on Jacas to cover a lot of smaller sins. Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
On the needs board they went 7 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
In the end, one you will need a couple of seasons to truly judge.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 31 they get a long-term starter on the line, though the board says they badly overpaid. A clean fit for the roster.
They reached into another round for Eric Rivers, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Markel Bell at No. 95 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Trey Moore. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Taking Dillon Thieneman in pick No. 131 is close to grand larceny; a safety that good had no business lasting this long. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Albert Regis. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They reached a country mile for Jared Brown at slot 191, and the board is aghast. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Steal is underselling it; Gabe Jacas at Round 6, Pick 17 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They robbed the room for Marlin Klein here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Domani Jackson at pick 212 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Branson Robinson at the Round 7 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.