C-
New England Patriots
The Patriots left with their quarterback, and a C- to match.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 26 picks
· 1 steals
· 13 reaches
The Patriots spent the pick that matters most on Drake Maye, and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape.
They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. Reaching for Barner left real value on the table behind him. However the rest shakes out, McGlothern at that price is a win they earned.
It nets out as a middle-of-the-pack haul that neither helps nor hurts much.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 9 they get their quarterback of the future at fair value.
They paid sticker price for Xavier Legette in slot 36, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
No drama and no debate, Chris Braswell went about where he belonged in the 37th pick. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid a round early for Kingsley Suamataia in the 47th overall pick, more than the board wanted. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Patrick Paul at No. 68 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A need, and now a little less of one.
By-the-book stuff, Devontez Walker at Round 3, Pick 5 squarely in line with his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They liked Braelon Allen enough to skip the value, taking him in pick 92. The roster fit checks out.
They jumped the gun on Maason Smith, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cole Bishop. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Zak Zinter in slot 105; it is a wash and a sensible one. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid up for Elijah Jones at the Round 4 slot when waiting would have done the job. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Javon Solomon in Round 4, Pick 7 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. The roster logic is harder to follow.
Justin Eboigbe at No. 126 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Christian Jones in the 129th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Luke McCaffrey at pick 135 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Marist Liufau at the 137th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for AJ Barner. It fills a real need, too.
Nothing to complain about; Jarrian Jones went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
A straight-up fair deal on Kitan Oladapo at pick 156, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A wild overpay on Tip Reiman in the 162nd pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They reached into another round for Cornelius Johnson, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Joe Milton III in Round 6, Pick 5, miles early. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
You do not let a cornerback like Dwight McGlothern reach the Round 6 slot and blink. They did not. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
They reached a country mile for Javontae Jean-Baptiste at No. 193, and the board is aghast. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jaylan Ford at the 205th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They did well to land Bub Means in the 249th overall pick, just ahead of his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.