D
New England Patriots
The Patriots finally solved quarterback, and it carried them to a D.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 3 steals
· 5 reaches
Somebody took the Patriots to the cleaners. The deals they made bled real value, and the whole class wears it. The math is unkind, and the D follows.
So much rides on Jayden Daniels that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through safety. They are betting Rice proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
The Pearl pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 3rd overall pick they get a long-term answer under center. A clean fit for the roster.
Nothing to complain about; Tyler Guyton went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Kingsley Suamataia at pick 68 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A reach for Brenden Rice in pick No. 80; a little patience would have been rewarded. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Braelon Allen at slot 104 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Khyree Jackson at No. 105. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
No drama and no debate, Maason Smith went about where he belonged in Round 4, Pick 6. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Luke McCaffrey at the Round 5 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They liked Jalyx Hunt enough to skip the value, taking him in the 138th overall pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid up for Marist Liufau at No. 153 when waiting would have done the job. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Dwight McGlothern in the 176th pick. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Cornelius Johnson at Round 6, Pick 5 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Tip Reiman at pick No. 186 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the tight end. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
No edge and no loss on Myles Cole in the Round 6 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Julian Pearl reach slot 222 and blink. They did not. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.