D
New England Patriots
The Patriots answered their biggest question with Nix. Grade: D.
by MeMyself ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
Every swap seemed to tilt away from the Patriots, and the value they bled adds up to real damage. It grades a D, and the process earned it.
Every board in the league had Suamataia lower, and that gap is the story. They have staked the next five years on Bo Nix, which is the only story that really matters here. Getting Tracy Jr. where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 26th pick they get a franchise quarterback. A real need, handled.
They talked themselves into Kingsley Suamataia at the 34th overall pick, and the board did not agree. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Ja'Tavion Sanders in slot 58 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A straight-up fair deal on Jaden Hicks at No. 79, value and slot in agreement. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Brenden Rice at the Round 3 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Cam Hart in pick No. 97 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Javon Foster at Round 4, Pick 3 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It fills a real need, too.
Isaac Guerendo at pick 115 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Jalyx Hunt at the 125th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A conviction pick on Luke McCaffrey at pick 138 that the board grades a round light. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 161 with a little surplus value in Brennan Jackson. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board fumbled Trevor Keegan all the way to the Round 5 slot, and they scooped it up. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Fabien Lovett at No. 180 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They will replay Tyrone Tracy Jr. at Round 6, Pick 18 for years; that is how good the value is. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Circle this one: Kamal Hadden at the 202nd pick is a fall that decides a draft. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
JD Bertrand at slot 225 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the linebacker. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
By-the-book stuff, Jalen Coker at the 253rd overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.