A-
New England Patriots
The Patriots answered their biggest question with Daniels. Grade: A-.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 2 steals
· 8 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Patriots spent their marquee pick on Jayden Daniels, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Coleman. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. Barner has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
For all the activity, interior defensive lineman went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Trust the process, because this time the process plainly worked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 7 they get their quarterback of the future. A real need, handled.
In the 27th pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
No edge and no loss on Ja'Tavion Sanders in pick 34; it is a wash and a sensible one. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Keon Coleman in the Round 3 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They paid sticker price for Patrick Paul in No. 69, and that is fine. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Zak Zinter in the 104th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A straight-up fair deal on Isaac Guerendo at slot 105, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Johnny Wilson at Round 4, Pick 8 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Justin Eboigbe in the Round 4 slot is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
This one needs a full-page explanation: AJ Barner in the 139th pick, miles early. The roster fit checks out.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Tommy Eichenberg. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A reach for Luke McCaffrey in slot 156; a little patience would have been rewarded. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board had cheaper options than Dwight McGlothern at pick No. 164, and it noticed. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
No drama and no debate, Caedan Wallace went about where he belonged in No. 179. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They took Cornelius Johnson at par in the 183rd overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jaylan Ford a notch or two before his time. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Josh Proctor in the 217th pick is fair value, right on his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Tip Reiman at the 219th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It fills a real need, too.
A tidy bit of business in No. 226, where Michael Barrett graded well above the range. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Trey Knox at the Round 7 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They went early on Bub Means in pick No. 248, and the value did not follow. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.