D+
New England Patriots
The Patriots finally solved quarterback, and it carried them to a D+.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 4 steals
· 6 reaches
Every swap seemed to tilt away from the Patriots, and the value they bled adds up to real damage.
Whatever Drake Maye becomes, the front office has tied its fortunes to the answer. They will need Eboigbe to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. However the rest shakes out, McGlothern at that price is a win they earned.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 10 they get the face of the franchise. A real need, handled.
A slide stopped in Round 2, Pick 2, with Graham Barton worth more than the price. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A straight-up fair deal on Chris Braswell at No. 38, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A reach on Kingsley Suamataia in pick No. 49; the board had better options right there. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No edge and no loss on Devontez Walker in the 68th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Patrick Paul at the 72nd overall pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. The roster fit checks out.
A clean, defensible pick in slot 100 with a little surplus value in Brenden Rice. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Cole Bishop in the Round 4 slot is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid sticker price for Zak Zinter in slot 105, and that is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A conviction pick on Theo Johnson at No. 111 that the board grades a round light. A need, and now a little less of one.
They paid a round early for Isaac Guerendo in the Round 4 slot, more than the board wanted. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Nothing to complain about; Elijah Jones went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A minor itch, scratched.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Justin Eboigbe in pick No. 128, miles early. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Luke McCaffrey at Round 5, Pick 1 is a conviction pick that outran the value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Marist Liufau at the 154th pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Dwight McGlothern at the 180th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Good price on Cornelius Johnson in the Round 6 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Logan Lee. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jaylen Harrell in slot 213 lands just on the right side of the ledger. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Jared Wiley at pick 222 is the proof. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Caedan Wallace in the 231st pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.