B
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Kamara fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by BBB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
Somebody in the 165th overall pick was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Mohamed Kamara, the No. 130 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.
The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The Wallace pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes. It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 9 they get a home-run threat at receiver at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
In No. 21 they get a matchup problem out wide. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Keon Coleman in pick No. 34 is fair value, right on his grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A market-rate quarterback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on J.J. McCarthy. It fills a real need, too.
They did well to land Blake Fisher in the Round 3 slot, just ahead of his grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They let Cade Stover come to them and pounced at the 102nd pick. The roster fit checks out.
No edge and no loss on Braelon Allen in slot 104; it is a wash and a sensible one. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Javon Foster at pick 125 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A slide stopped in No. 136, with Johnny Wilson worth more than the price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Marist Liufau in pick 156. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Steal is underselling it; Mohamed Kamara at Round 5, Pick 29 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Nice patience on Jarrian Jones, who had no business lasting to the 166th pick. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Caedan Wallace at slot 168 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A top-tier quarterback at a bargain, Jordan Travis in pick No. 176, plain and simple. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Fair-plus on Dwight McGlothern, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Jaylan Ford at the Round 7 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
By-the-book stuff, Brevyn Spann-Ford at slot 238 squarely in line with his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Matthew Jones in the 247th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A need, and now a little less of one.