D
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Johnson from sliding. Grade: D.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 19 picks
· 3 steals
· 8 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Patriots did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high.
The cost of the Jean-Baptiste reach is exactly the players who went right after him. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up. However the rest shakes out, Johnson at that price is a win they earned.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, quarterback very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 3 they get a matchup problem out wide at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Kingsley Suamataia at slot 49 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The roster fit checks out.
Devontez Walker at pick No. 68 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Dominick Puni in the 97th pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They did well to land Khyree Jackson in the Round 3 slot, just ahead of his grade. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cole Bishop. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
No edge and no loss on Zak Zinter in pick No. 105; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A reach on Isaac Guerendo in the 114th pick; the board had better options right there. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Mohamed Kamara in slot 129 is fair value, right on his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They liked Justin Eboigbe enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 5 slot. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A premium they did not need to pay, Luke McCaffrey a notch or two before his time. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They took Dwight McGlothern at par in No. 162, which is nothing to complain about. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Jordan Jefferson at the 180th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They talked themselves into Julian Pearl at pick 181, and the board did not agree. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A real head-scratcher, Javontae Jean-Baptiste in Round 6, Pick 18 is miles ahead of his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Trey Knox in pick 212 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Cornelius Johnson at the 214th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
JD Bertrand in the 231st overall pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A reach for Josh Proctor in No. 236; a little patience would have been rewarded. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.