B
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Rodriguez from sliding. Grade: B.
by Arcadiuz ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 9 steals
· 1 reaches
The rest of the league will want that one back. Jacob Rodriguez tumbling to the Patriots in pick No. 125 is a gift they did not have to think twice about. The bottom line is a respectable B.
They are betting Bowry proves the room right and everyone else wrong. They punted on safety, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
On the needs board they went 5 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 31 they get juice off the edge, and a steal at that. The biggest hole, addressed.
Zachariah Branch at the 63rd overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They talked themselves into Jude Bowry at Round 3, Pick 31, and the board did not agree. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Jacob Rodriguez in the 125th pick, plain and simple. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Taking Malachi Fields in No. 131 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
You do not let a tight end like Joe Royer reach slot 171 and blink. They did not. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Circle this one: Tim Keenan III at the Round 6 slot is a fall that decides a draft. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Aamil Wagner at pick 198 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They read the board right and Ephesians Prysock was the payoff at the 202nd pick. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Zane Durant in Round 6, Pick 31 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Somehow Jeff Caldwell was still sitting there in pick 247, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.