B
New England Patriots
Lane should have been long gone. The Patriots pounced, and earned a B.
by DaveDanc ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
The Patriots spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Ja'Kobi Lane, the No. 98 name on the board, in slot 131. The bottom line is a respectable B.
That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Nearly every premium pick went to that side of the ball. Nothing gained and nothing lost at the table.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the quarterback spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 31 they get a green-dot type in the middle, and a steal at that. Need was not the driver here.
Romello Height at pick 63 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They barely believed it either: Domonique Orange still on the board at the 95th overall pick. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
By-the-book stuff, Jude Bowry at the 125th pick squarely in line with his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Ja'Kobi Lane in Round 4, Pick 31 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board had Marlin Klein higher than slot 171, and the tight end fell to them anyway. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
No edge and no loss on Ephesians Prysock in the Round 6 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on VJ Payne. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for Le'Veon Moss in No. 202, and that is fine. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They read the board right and Eric McAlister was the payoff at slot 212. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.