B-
New England Patriots
Grand theft in the Round 7 slot: the Patriots steal Thomas and grade out a B-.
by drew179 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Patriots were there to profit. Zavion Thomas, the No. 225 name on the board, should have been long gone before No. 247. It nets out to a B-, which feels about right.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. They will need Caldwell to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Quantity was the play, for better or worse.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 31 they get a downhill thumper at linebacker, and a steal at that. More want than need.
D'Angelo Ponds at pick No. 63 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Max Klare in the 95th pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
No drama and no debate, Bishop Fitzgerald went about where he belonged in slot 125. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Isaiah World in pick 147 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They went early on Jeff Caldwell in Round 5, Pick 37, and the value did not follow. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pat Coogan in the Round 6 slot is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
No edge and no loss on Dallen Bentley in the 198th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A need, and now a little less of one.
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Dallen Bentley. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Bobby Jamison-Travis at No. 212 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jeremiah Wright in pick No. 215 is fair value, right on his grade. The roster fit checks out.
Value with a capital V on Keyshaun Elliott in Round 7, Pick 15, a genuine coup. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
You do not let a wide receiver like Zavion Thomas reach the 247th pick and blink. They did not. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.