Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Patriots were there to profit. Jordan James, the No. 123 name on the board, should have been long gone before the 256th overall pick. The good and the questionable cancel out to a C.
If Reid pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back.
Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. With edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots unsolved, spending premium capital on linebacker is the choice that costs them.
So much rides on Tyler Booker that the real verdict is a season or two away.
Pick-by-Pick
R2.6
· Pick 38
· Tyler Booker
· OG
· rank 38
No drama and no debate, Tyler Booker went about where he belonged in pick 38. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R2.26
· Pick 58
· Ozzy Trapilo
· OT
· rank 93
Value said wait; Ozzy Trapilo in the 58th overall pick says they were not listening. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R3.2
· Pick 66
· Jalen Royals
· WR
· rank 63
Nothing to complain about; Jalen Royals went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R3.5
· Pick 69
· Cam Skattebo
· RB
· rank 105
Cam Skattebo at No. 69 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R3.13
· Pick 77
· Karene Reid
· LB
· rank 192
A big swing on Karene Reid at slot 77, well ahead of any board in the building. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
R4.4
· Pick 105
· Lander Barton
· LB
· rank 137
They bypassed pressing needs at edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots to take Lander Barton, a linebacker that was not the priority.
R5.8
· Pick 145
· Jake Majors
· C
· rank 107
Jake Majors at Round 5, Pick 8 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R7.3
· Pick 219
· Brant Kuithe
· TE
· rank 220
They took Brant Kuithe at par in pick No. 219, which is nothing to complain about. A need, and now a little less of one.
R7.6
· Pick 222
· Upton Stout
· S
· rank 190
The board fumbled Upton Stout all the way to pick No. 222, and they scooped it up. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R7.24
· Pick 240
· Shilo Sanders
· S
· rank 258
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Shilo Sanders. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R7.40
· Pick 256
· Jordan James
· RB
· rank 123
Circle this one: Jordan James at Round 7, Pick 40 is a fall that decides a draft. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
