B
New England Patriots
Best value of the weekend goes to the Patriots for Haulcy: B.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 8 steals
· 1 reaches
Call it larceny. A.J. Haulcy sat on the board until No. 125, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through interior defensive lineman. The Dennis-Sutton reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 31 they get a difference-maker at receiver, and a steal at that. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They talked themselves into Dani Dennis-Sutton at slot 63, and the board did not agree. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They will replay Jake Golday at pick No. 95 for years; that is how good the value is. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A.J. Haulcy at pick 125 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Nothing to complain about; Jude Bowry went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It fills a real need, too.
You do not let a tight end like Oscar Delp reach the 171st overall pick and blink. They did not. The roster fit checks out.
The board fumbled Parker Brailsford all the way to the Round 6 slot, and they scooped it up. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They read the board right and Jeff Caldwell was the payoff at Round 6, Pick 17. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Value with a capital V on Taylen Green in slot 202, a genuine coup. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Cole Payton at the 212th pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
Trey Zuhn III in pick 247 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It patches a soft spot without any drama.