D
New England Patriots
The Patriots got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the D.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 2 steals
· 8 reaches
The Patriots lost the trade war and it was not close, handing partners the better end again and again.
They are betting Jean-Baptiste proves the room right and everyone else wrong. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it.
The McGlothern pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and quarterback is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a plug-and-play piece up front. A real need, handled.
Tyler Guyton in slot 34 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Xavier Legette at Round 2, Pick 6 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Patrick Paul in the 68th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The roster fit checks out.
They took Devontez Walker at par in pick No. 69, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
No edge and no loss on Braelon Allen in pick 100; it is a wash and a sensible one. A need, and now a little less of one.
Maason Smith at the 103rd pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Elijah Jones is a better player than No. 126 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They liked Justin Eboigbe enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 5 slot. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A reach on Marist Liufau in the 151st pick; the board had better options right there. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They went early on AJ Barner in pick 155, and the value did not follow. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Dwight McGlothern in No. 180 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Cornelius Johnson at slot 187 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste at pick No. 194 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Eric Watts at the 214th overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Josh Proctor in Round 7, Pick 4 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A premium they did not need to pay, Bub Means a notch or two before his time. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.