B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Allen fall and pounced. Final grade: B-.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 6 steals
· 3 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Patriots watched CJ Allen slide 31 picks past his grade and did not hesitate.
A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want. The Herron pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 31st pick they get juice off the edge, though they paid up to get him. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, CJ Allen in pick 63, plain and simple. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Elijah Sarratt in slot 95 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Brian Parker II at the 125th overall pick is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Value with a capital V on Julian Neal in No. 131, a genuine coup. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Taking Isaiah World in pick No. 171 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. It fills a real need, too.
They paid a round early for Cole Payton in the Round 6 slot, more than the board wanted. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A clean, defensible pick in Round 6, Pick 17 with a little surplus value in Jeff Caldwell. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Ephesians Prysock slipping to pick No. 202 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Dallen Bentley at the Round 6 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Alan Herron at pick 247 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A need, and now a little less of one.