B-
New England Patriots
Good, not great, for the Patriots: B-.
by Wanna Be Pats GM ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 5 reaches
The Patriots looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took Patrick Payton at Round 4, Pick 31 regardless, 116 picks early. It does the job without flash, and the B- reflects it.
The Stribling pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
A premium they did not need to pay, Max Iheanachor a notch or two before his time. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Value with a capital V on A.J. Haulcy in No. 63, a genuine coup. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A real head-scratcher, Kaleb Proctor in the 95th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Nice patience on De'Zhaun Stribling, who had no business lasting to pick No. 125. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Patrick Payton at the Round 4 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A quiet steal in Round 5, Pick 31: Nate Boerkircher for less than the market said. It fills a real need, too.
They did well to land Jeff Caldwell in the 191st overall pick, just ahead of his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Eli Heidenreich at Round 6, Pick 21 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Terion Stewart in the Round 7 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached a country mile for Tristan Leigh at the 247th pick, and the board is aghast. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.