B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots checked most of the boxes and earned a B-.
by Jz ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
They will call it conviction in the building and a reach everywhere else: Patrick Payton, 45 picks early at the Round 6 slot. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.
That is a safety worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. For all the activity, quarterback went untouched, which is hard to explain.
They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 31 they get the heartbeat of the defense, and a steal at that. Need was not the driver here.
A quiet steal in No. 63: Eli Stowers for less than the market said. The roster fit checks out.
Good price on Skyler Bell in the 95th overall pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Bud Clark at Round 4, Pick 25 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
By-the-book stuff, Kaleb Proctor at the 131st pick squarely in line with his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Aamil Wagner. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They did well to land Ephesians Prysock in the 191st pick, just ahead of his grade. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
The board had cheaper options than Kaelon Black at pick No. 198, and it noticed. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Patrick Payton at No. 202 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Eli Heidenreich at slot 212 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
No edge and no loss on Trey Zuhn III in Round 7, Pick 31; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.