B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots finally solved quarterback, and it carried them to a B+.
by [email protected] ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. Drake Maye is the Patriots' quarterback, full stop. More right than wrong, and a B+ to match.
They banked enough surplus on Hicks to cover a lot of smaller sins. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want. They will answer for taking cornerback early while edge rusher and interior defensive lineman went begging.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 8th pick they get a long-term answer under center at fair value. A real need, handled.
In slot 27 they get a matchup problem out wide. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Jordan Morgan slipping to pick 43 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid sticker price for Ricky Pearsall in pick No. 44, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No edge and no loss on Mike Sainristil in the Round 2 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Fair-plus on Kiran Amegadjie, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It fills a real need, too.
Cade Stover at No. 77 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The roster fit checks out.
They robbed the room for Jaden Hicks here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking DJ James at cornerback with edge rusher and interior defensive lineman open.
They went early on Luke McCaffrey in slot 137, and the value did not follow. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Somehow Will Shipley was still sitting there in Round 5, Pick 7, and they pounced on premier running back value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
James Williams is a better player than No. 181 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
The board had Sione Vaki higher than pick No. 193, and the safety fell to them anyway. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They did well to land Bub Means in the 231st overall pick, just ahead of his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Circle this one: Garret Greenfield at the Round 7 slot is a fall that decides a draft. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.