B
New England Patriots
Grand theft in the 236th pick: the Patriots steal Allen and grade out a B.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 14 steals
· 2 reaches
Call it larceny. Cyrus Allen sat on the board until No. 236, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
They will need Reiger to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The quarterback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Olaivavega Ioane in the Round 2 slot, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Somehow Dillon Thieneman was still sitting there in Round 2, Pick 31, and they pounced on premier safety value. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Markel Bell in the 84th pick, miles early. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Taking Jake Golday in No. 95 is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Mason Reiger this early at the 114th overall pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
You do not let a linebacker like Jacob Rodriguez reach pick No. 120 and blink. They did not. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Malachi Fields in slot 128 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jadarian Price in pick 131 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It fills a real need, too.
They let Nate Boerkircher come to them and pounced at slot 171. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They barely believed it either: Malik Benson still on the board at the Round 6 slot. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Circle this one: Marlin Klein at Round 6, Pick 16 is a fall that decides a draft. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Ephesians Prysock at the 198th pick is the proof. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They will replay Kevin Coleman Jr. at the 205th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Bobby Jamison-Travis at No. 212 is money in the bank, a interior defensive lineman taken below his worth. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Steal is underselling it; Cyrus Allen at pick 236 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Dallen Bentley at pick No. 247 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.