B
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Cisse fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 8 steals
· 2 reaches
Call it larceny. Brandon Cisse sat on the board until slot 95, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice. Good, not great, and the B says as much.
They will regret leaving interior defensive lineman for another day if the season turns on it. The cost of the Reiger reach is exactly the players who went right after him. They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Value over need was the throughline, for better and worse.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but interior defensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 31 they get a bendy edge with upside, though they paid up to get him. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Gennings Dunker in the Round 2 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Brandon Cisse in pick 95, plain and simple. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Steal is underselling it; Bryce Lance at No. 125 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Mason Reiger at the 131st pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Charles Demmings in the 171st overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Taylen Green in slot 191 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jeff Caldwell is a better player than pick No. 198 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Anez Cooper in pick No. 202. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Circle this one: Dae'Quan Wright at pick 212 is a fall that decides a draft. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Xavier Nwankpa slid further than he should have, and Round 7, Pick 31 is lovely value for the safety. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.