B
New England Patriots
Boerkircher should have been long gone. The Patriots pounced, and earned a B.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 8 steals
· 1 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Patriots were there to profit. Nate Boerkircher, the No. 160 name on the board, should have been long gone before the Round 6 slot. A dependable weekend that grades out a B.
A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want. They will need Fa'amoe to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. On the needs board they went 6 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
They trusted the board more than the depth chart.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the interior defensive lineman spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 31 they get a rangy last line of defense, and a steal at that. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Gabe Jacas is a better player than No. 63 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board fumbled Germie Bernard all the way to the 95th pick, and they scooped it up. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jude Bowry. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A straight-up fair deal on Oscar Delp at pick No. 131, value and slot in agreement. The roster fit checks out.
Charles Demmings in the Round 5 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
You do not let an edge rusher like Max Llewellyn reach the 195th overall pick and blink. They did not. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jeff Caldwell at Round 6, Pick 17 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No edge and no loss on Sawyer Robertson in pick 202; it is a wash and a sensible one. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Nate Boerkircher at the Round 6 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They paid a round early for Fa'alili Fa'amoe in No. 229, more than the board wanted. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A tidy bit of business in the 247th overall pick, where Eli Heidenreich graded well above the range. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.