C+
New England Patriots
The Patriots got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the C+.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 22 picks
· 1 steals
· 12 reaches
There is reaching, and then there is Joe Milton III at pick No. 169. The Patriots jumped the board by 32 and dared it to prove them wrong. Fine in stretches, shaky in others: a C+.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. If one pick saves this weekend, it is McGlothern.
Edge rusher was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
It grades out a shrug today, with plenty of room to move either way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 7th pick they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Cooper DeJean in the Round 2 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They took Xavier Legette at par in No. 39, which is nothing to complain about. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Kingsley Suamataia at Round 2, Pick 18 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. The roster fit checks out.
Devontez Walker at pick No. 59 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
By-the-book stuff, Jonah Elliss at the 88th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board had cheaper options than Braelon Allen at No. 89, and it noticed. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Maason Smith at the Round 3 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Cole Bishop at pick 100 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Zak Zinter in slot 101 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They liked Spencer Rattler enough to skip the value, taking him in the 103rd pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Javon Solomon in the 108th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Not a spot anyone had flagged, which makes it a head-scratcher.
Elijah Jones at Round 4, Pick 9 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Justin Eboigbe well ahead of where he belonged. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A straight-up fair deal on Isaac Guerendo at pick No. 126, value and slot in agreement. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They reached into another round for Marist Liufau, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A minor itch, scratched.
A reach for Luke McCaffrey in slot 141; a little patience would have been rewarded. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
AJ Barner at the 142nd overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Joe Milton III in Round 5, Pick 33 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Circle this one: Dwight McGlothern at the Round 6 slot is a fall that decides a draft. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
No edge and no loss on Tip Reiman in No. 182; it is a wash and a sensible one. A need, and now a little less of one.
They talked themselves into Javontae Jean-Baptiste at the 189th pick, and the board did not agree. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.