B
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Trotter: B.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 8 steals
· 1 reaches
The Patriots did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Josiah Trotter fell into Round 4, Pick 25. Good, not great, and the B says as much.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped safety, which is a strange place to end up. Every board in the league had Gumbs Jr. lower, and that gap is the story. They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Good work on the whole, with safety the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
Jordyn Tyson at pick No. 31 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Caleb Tiernan at Round 2, Pick 31 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They barely believed it either: Eli Stowers still on the board at No. 95. It fills a real need, too.
Josiah Trotter in slot 125 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A cornerback of that caliber at the 131st pick is the definition of value, full stop. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, George Gumbs Jr. well ahead of where he belonged. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Nice patience on Zane Durant, who had no business lasting to pick 191. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
No drama and no debate, Cole Payton went about where he belonged in the 198th overall pick. The roster fit checks out.
Jeff Caldwell slid further than he should have, and the Round 6 slot is lovely value for the wide receiver. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
You do not let an offensive lineman like DJ Campbell reach pick No. 212 and blink. They did not. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Terion Stewart at slot 247 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the running back. A need, and now a little less of one.