A
New England Patriots
Mustapha should have been long gone. The Patriots pounced, and earned a A.
by Rocketman21k ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 11 steals
· 0 reaches
The Patriots did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Malik Mustapha fell into slot 229.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The veteran additions, Tyrann Mathieu chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
Few war rooms will sleep better than this one tonight.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 14th pick they get a true top target, and a steal at that. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In Round 1, Pick 27 they get a cornerstone up front at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
Byron Murphy II is a better player than slot 36 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board fumbled Bo Nix all the way to pick 46, and they scooped it up. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Terrion Arnold at No. 68 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Kamren Kinchens in pick No. 103 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Taking Xavier Legette in the Round 4 slot is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Matt Goncalves at the 118th overall pick. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at Round 4, Pick 36 is the definition of value, full stop. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board had Cody Schrader higher than No. 182, and the running back fell to them anyway. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Malik Mustapha at the Round 7 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.