A
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Melton: A.
by Milk ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 11 steals
· 0 reaches
The Patriots did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Max Melton fell into Round 4, Pick 12. They executed a plan and it shows in the A.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. Spending an early pick on cornerback with edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Bottom line, with Malik Nabers leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 9th pick they get a go-to option on the outside at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
JC Latham in Round 1, Pick 18 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A need, and now a little less of one.
Circle this one: Brian Thomas Jr. at pick No. 49 is a fall that decides a draft. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A cornerback of that caliber at slot 68 is the definition of value, full stop. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
The board had Kingsley Suamataia higher than pick 71, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. It fills a real need, too.
A surprising call. With edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots still to address, they spent the Round 4 slot on Mike Sainristil, a cornerback they were not short of.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending the 112th overall pick on Max Melton with edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots unsolved.
Sataoa Laumea at No. 138 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Michael Pratt in the 148th overall pick. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Luke McCaffrey at Round 6, Pick 5 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They robbed the room for Walter Rouse here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Trente Jones in pick 216 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Somehow Nathaniel Watson was still sitting there in No. 231, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. A minor need, but a need all the same.