B
New England Patriots
Stribling should have been long gone. The Patriots pounced, and earned a B.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 6 steals
· 2 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. De'Zhaun Stribling had no business being available in No. 131, and the Patriots did the only sane thing and turned in the card. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped safety, which is a strange place to end up. Josephs has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
Good work on the whole, with safety the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 31 they get a quarterback's worst nightmare, even if it was a touch early. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Gennings Dunker at the 63rd overall pick is the proof. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Elijah Sarratt in the Round 3 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Taking Sam Roush in Round 4, Pick 25 is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
You do not let a wide receiver like De'Zhaun Stribling reach pick No. 131 and blink. They did not. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A slide stopped in the 171st pick, with Zxavian Harris worth more than the price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A tidy bit of business in pick 191, where Aamil Wagner graded well above the range. It fills a real need, too.
No drama and no debate, Cole Payton went about where he belonged in slot 198. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Aaron Graves in pick 202 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Dallen Bentley in the 212th overall pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Eli Heidenreich at pick No. 247 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.