PATRIOTS MOCK DRAFT GRADE B-

  1. Home
  2. My Stuff
  3. 4/3/26

4/3/26 B-

URL 4326-patriots-2535

Letter grade with a four-component score, written analysis, and a pick-by-pick breakdown for every selection in this saved mock.

My Mock Drafts →
Grade another draft →
B-

New England Patriots

A respectable, level-headed haul for the Patriots: B-.

by Jz · 2026 NFL Draft · 11 picks · 1 steals · 2 reaches
Value B-
Need B
Trades B-
Future B-

The Patriots went off the board in a big way for Kaelon Black, 26 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.

The quarterback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The Styles pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.

The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes.

In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.

Pick-by-Pick

R1.31 · Pick 31 · Sonny Styles · LB · rank 21
In slot 31 they get a downhill thumper at linebacker, and a steal at that. Need was not the driver here.
R2.31 · Pick 63 · Derrick Moore · DE-EDGE · rank 62
A straight-up fair deal on Derrick Moore at pick No. 63, value and slot in agreement. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R3.31 · Pick 95 · Ted Hurst · WR · rank 89
Ted Hurst at the 95th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R4.25 · Pick 125 · Gracen Halton · DL · rank 126
Gracen Halton at the 125th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R4.31 · Pick 131 · Oscar Delp · TE · rank 132
By-the-book stuff, Oscar Delp at Round 4, Pick 31 squarely in line with his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R5.31 · Pick 171 · Aamil Wagner · OT · rank 173
They paid sticker price for Aamil Wagner in pick 171, and that is fine. It fills a real need, too.
R6.10 · Pick 191 · Kaelon Black · RB · rank 217
Kaelon Black at pick No. 191 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R6.17 · Pick 198 · VJ Payne · S · rank 196
VJ Payne in the 198th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R6.21 · Pick 202 · Thaddeus Dixon · CB · rank 220
They left a pile of value on the table to take Thaddeus Dixon this early at Round 6, Pick 21. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
R6.31 · Pick 212 · Jeremiah Wright · OG · rank 218
No drama and no debate, Jeremiah Wright went about where he belonged in pick 212. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R7.31 · Pick 247 · Eli Heidenreich · WR · rank 242
Nothing to complain about; Eli Heidenreich went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
View Full Draft