B
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Koziol fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 9 steals
· 1 reaches
When a board-topper like Tanner Koziol slides to pick No. 247, you do not overthink it, and the Patriots did not. Good, not great, and the B says as much.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. Every board in the league had Green lower, and that gap is the story.
Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 6 of 8 of the wish list covered. They trusted the board more than the depth chart.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 31 they get a downhill hitter at safety at a price that makes it sweeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
A quiet steal in pick 72: Omar Cooper Jr. for less than the market said. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They will replay Lee Hunter at pick No. 95 for years; that is how good the value is. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Taking Brandon Cisse in the 110th pick is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A straight-up fair deal on Jude Bowry at the Round 4 slot, value and slot in agreement. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They read the board right and Justin Joly was the payoff at Round 4, Pick 31. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They paid up for Taylen Green at the 171st overall pick when waiting would have done the job. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Nate Boerkircher in No. 189 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
No edge and no loss on Justin Jefferson in the 191st overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Pat Coogan at the 198th pick. It fills a real need, too.
David Gusta at the Round 6 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid sticker price for Jeff Caldwell in slot 212, and that is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Kevin Coleman Jr. in Round 7, Pick 5, plain and simple. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Circle this one: Tanner Koziol at pick No. 247 is a fall that decides a draft. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.