B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B+.
by Phaktz ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 0 steals
· 7 reaches
If confidence were a draft strategy, the Patriots would have aced it. Spencer Rattler at the Round 3 slot is 49 spots clear of where he belonged.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
With edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots unsolved, spending premium capital on OLB-EDGE is the choice that costs them. The Patriots clearly valued win-now help, adding bodies who have done it before.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 13 they get a go-to option on the outside, reach and all. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Patrick Paul at the Round 2 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Spencer Rattler this early at No. 68. It fills a real need, too.
Trey Benson at Round 3, Pick 13 is a conviction pick that outran the value. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Christian Mahogany at slot 95 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Elijah Jones at pick No. 103 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A conviction pick on Theo Johnson at No. 112 that the board grades a round light. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose OLB-EDGE. Javon Solomon in slot 115 leaves edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots for later.
No drama and no debate, Jaylin Simpson went about where he belonged in the 137th overall pick. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Tommy Eichenberg in the 149th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Jordan Travis in Round 5, Pick 24 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 231 with a little surplus value in Frank Gore Jr.. The roster fit checks out.