Call it larceny. Quinshon Judkins sat on the board until pick No. 199, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice. They moved the roster forward and banked a B+ for it.
Every board in the league had Rivers lower, and that gap is the story. Spending an early pick on linebacker with wide receiver, safety and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through wide receiver.
The trade work was a quiet net positive.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.29
· Pick 29
· Aireontae Ersery
· OT
· rank 55
In No. 29 they get a blindside protector, a steep price for the projection.
R2.6
· Pick 38
· Nic Scourton
· DL-EDGE
· rank 41
No drama and no debate, Nic Scourton went about where he belonged in pick No. 38. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R2.28
· Pick 60
· Jihaad Campbell
· LB
· rank 40
Jihaad Campbell at Round 2, Pick 28 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R2.29
· Pick 61
· Tyler Warren
· TE
· rank 44
Tyler Warren in the 61st pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R3.5
· Pick 69
· Deone Walker
· DT
· rank 69
No edge and no loss on Deone Walker in the Round 3 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R3.33
· Pick 97
· Emery Jones Jr.
· OT
· rank 178
Emery Jones Jr. at the 97th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It fills a real need, too.
R4.4
· Pick 105
· Blake Miller
· OT
· rank 153
Blake Miller in slot 105 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R4.24
· Pick 125
· Carson Schwesinger
· LB
· rank 139
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Carson Schwesinger adds a linebacker and leaves wide receiver, safety and other spots untouched.
R5.1
· Pick 138
· DeMonte Capehart
· DT
· rank 157
A real head-scratcher, DeMonte Capehart in pick 138 is miles ahead of his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R5.6
· Pick 143
· Davison Igbinosun
· CB
· rank 221
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Davison Igbinosun well ahead of where he belonged. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R5.26
· Pick 163
· Will Lee III
· CB
· rank 241
A big swing on Will Lee III at the Round 5 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
R6.24
· Pick 199
· Quinshon Judkins
· RB
· rank 73
Circle this one: Quinshon Judkins at No. 199 is a fall that decides a draft. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R7.1
· Pick 217
· Jalen Rivers
· OT
· rank 323
Jalen Rivers at slot 217 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R7.4
· Pick 220
· Seth McLaughlin
· C
· rank 208
Value with a capital V on Seth McLaughlin in Round 7, Pick 4, a genuine coup. The roster fit checks out.
R7.25
· Pick 241
· RJ Harvey
· RB
· rank 310
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for RJ Harvey. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.