B
New England Patriots
Bernard should have been long gone. The Patriots pounced, and earned a B.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 9 steals
· 2 reaches
The rest of the league will want that one back. Germie Bernard tumbling to the Patriots in Round 4, Pick 25 is a gift they did not have to think twice about.
Every board in the league had Gumbs Jr. lower, and that gap is the story. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through interior defensive lineman.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 31 they get a blindside protector, outstanding value to boot.
Max Iheanachor at No. 63 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. The roster fit checks out.
Eli Stowers at the 95th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Germie Bernard in pick 125, plain and simple. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Malik Muhammad at the Round 4 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Parker Brailsford in the 171st pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Drew Allar at Round 6, Pick 10 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Jeff Caldwell at pick No. 198. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Logan Fano at the 202nd overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They talked themselves into George Gumbs Jr. at No. 212, and the board did not agree. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Eli Heidenreich in slot 247. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.