B
New England Patriots
The Patriots answered their biggest question with Maye. Grade: B.
by Bigbook ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
Start where it matters. The Patriots took Drake Maye to run the offense for the next decade, and every other decision this weekend bends around that one.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. They are betting Bell proves the room right and everyone else wrong. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
On value alone, Hadden makes the weekend a net positive.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 4th pick they get a long-term answer under center. A real need, handled.
In the Round 1 slot they get a true top target, though they paid up to get him. The biggest hole, addressed.
No edge and no loss on Ja'Tavion Sanders in pick No. 34; it is a wash and a sensible one. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They let Braden Fiske come to them and pounced at Round 3, Pick 4. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Kingsley Suamataia at No. 70 is the proof. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Zak Zinter at the 103rd overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It fills a real need, too.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jaheim Bell this early at pick 137. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Good price on Cody Schrader in slot 180, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A need, and now a little less of one.
Somehow Kamal Hadden was still sitting there in slot 186, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Ty'Ron Hopper at No. 193. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Kalen DeLoach in the 231st pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.