B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Bell fall and pounced. Final grade: B+.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 9 steals
· 1 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Chris Bell slide, and the Patriots were the ones holding the card at pick No. 131. Highway robbery.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. They will need Bentley to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
Adding Justin Jefferson by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
They read the board right and Max Iheanachor was the payoff at pick No. 63. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board fumbled Anthony Hill Jr. all the way to pick 95, and they scooped it up. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They barely believed it either: Christen Miller still on the board at Round 4, Pick 25. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
You do not let a wide receiver like Chris Bell reach No. 131 and blink. They did not. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at slot 171 is the definition of value, full stop. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Dallen Bentley in the 191st pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Taylen Green in the Round 6 slot. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A quiet steal in the 202nd overall pick: Jeff Caldwell for less than the market said. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Keagen Trost in the 212th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jadon Canady at Round 7, Pick 31 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.