B
New England Patriots
The Patriots answered their biggest question with McCarthy. Grade: B.
by Nicholas ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
The search is over. The Patriots handed the keys to J.J. McCarthy, and the whole operation now runs on his development. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. Landing Vaki that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
The cost of the McCarthy reach is exactly the players who went right after him.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 11 they get the face of the franchise, a steep price for the projection. A clean fit for the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Sedrick Van Pran at slot 68 squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A reasonable price with a little left over, MarShawn Lloyd in No. 103. The roster fit checks out.
Ben Sinnott at the 137th pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the tight end. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
You do not let a safety like Sione Vaki reach the 180th overall pick and blink. They did not. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Value with a capital V on Sheridan Jones in the Round 7 slot, a genuine coup. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.