B
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Hurst from sliding. Grade: B.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 4 steals
· 0 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Patriots were there to profit. Ted Hurst, the No. 88 name on the board, should have been long gone before the Round 4 slot.
They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 31 they get a wrecking ball inside. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A slide stopped in slot 63, with Gennings Dunker worth more than the price. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Eli Stowers at pick No. 95 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A need, and now a little less of one.
By-the-book stuff, Gracen Halton at Round 4, Pick 25 squarely in line with his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Ted Hurst in the Round 4 slot, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Kage Casey at the 171st overall pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Jeff Caldwell at pick 191 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Ephesians Prysock at the 198th pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the cornerback. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A straight-up fair deal on Cole Payton at the 202nd pick, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They paid sticker price for Aaron Graves in slot 212, and that is fine. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
No drama and no debate, Eli Heidenreich went about where he belonged in pick No. 247. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.