C+
New England Patriots
Williams is the Patriots' new face under center. Grade: C+.
by jmano21 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 1 steals
· 5 reaches
The search is over. The Patriots handed the keys to Caleb Williams, and the whole operation now runs on his development. Some smart calls, some head-scratchers, and a C+ in the wash.
However the rest shakes out, Coleman at that price is a win they earned. They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
The Means pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
If Caleb Williams and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 3 they get a franchise quarterback. A real need, handled.
A reach for Kingsley Suamataia in pick 45; a little patience would have been rewarded. It fills a real need, too.
A wide receiver of that caliber at the 68th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They did well to land Jalen McMillan in No. 104, just ahead of his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid a round early for Theo Johnson in Round 4, Pick 22, more than the board wanted. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A conviction pick on Fabien Lovett at slot 136 that the board grades a round light. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Dylan Laube at the 156th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. The roster fit checks out.
They paid sticker price for Kamal Hadden in the Round 5 slot, and that is fine. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Value said wait; Jalen Green in the 229th overall pick says they were not listening. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They talked themselves into Bub Means at slot 237, and the board did not agree. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.