A-
New England Patriots
A passer of the future in Maye, and a A-, for the Patriots.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 22 picks
· 3 steals
· 11 reaches
They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. Drake Maye is the Patriots' quarterback, full stop. The board rewarded a patient, disciplined weekend with a A-.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. The Liufau pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. That is a quarterback worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
The Patriots indulged a want in Solomon while a need in interior defensive lineman stayed open.
Add it up and this is about as clean as a draft weekend gets.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 7 they get their guy under center for the next decade. A clean fit for the roster.
A straight-up fair deal on Xavier Legette at No. 35, value and slot in agreement. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Chris Braswell in Round 2, Pick 7 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Kingsley Suamataia in pick No. 47 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Patrick Paul at the 58th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They did well to land Calen Bullock in the 89th overall pick, just ahead of his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid sticker price for Braelon Allen in the Round 4 slot, and that is fine. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Cole Bishop at slot 103 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A surprising call. With interior defensive lineman still to address, they spent slot 105 on Javon Solomon, an OLB-EDGE they were not short of.
A reach on Elijah Jones in Round 4, Pick 7; the board had better options right there. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A reach for Mohamed Kamara in pick No. 115; a little patience would have been rewarded. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A big swing on Justin Eboigbe at the 129th overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Somehow Spencer Rattler was still sitting there in No. 137, and they pounced on premier quarterback value. It fills a real need, too.
Luke McCaffrey in pick 139 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A wild overpay on Marist Liufau in the 141st pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Nice patience on Jarrian Jones, who had no business lasting to the Round 5 slot. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
AJ Barner at the 149th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They liked Tip Reiman enough to skip the value, taking him in Round 5, Pick 39. A need, and now a little less of one.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cornelius Johnson. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
No edge and no loss on Ty'Ron Hopper in No. 181; it is a wash and a sensible one. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A slide stopped in the Round 7 slot, with Caedan Wallace worth more than the price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They paid a round early for Bub Means in slot 230, more than the board wanted. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.