The Patriots clearly saw something nobody else did in Nick Nash, taking him 114 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Gordon II. They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Wide receiver was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
The kind of weekend a front office frames and hangs on the wall.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.24
· Pick 24
· Aireontae Ersery
· OT
· rank 58
In slot 24 they get a long-term starter on the line, a steep price for the projection.
R2.7
· Pick 39
· Emeka Egbuka
· WR
· rank 25
Emeka Egbuka at the 39th overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R2.23
· Pick 55
· Tyler Warren
· TE
· rank 45
Tyler Warren in Round 2, Pick 23 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R3.6
· Pick 70
· Jalon Walker
· LB
· rank 28
A linebacker of that caliber at pick 70 is the definition of value, full stop. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R3.16
· Pick 80
· Maxwell Hairston
· CB
· rank 99
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Maxwell Hairston well ahead of where he belonged. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R4.5
· Pick 106
· Tez Johnson
· WR
· rank 115
A premium they did not need to pay, Tez Johnson a notch or two before his time. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R5.3
· Pick 141
· Nick Nash
· QB
· rank 255
Value said wait; Nick Nash in the Round 5 slot says they were not listening. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R7.7
· Pick 221
· Clay Webb
· OG
· rank 222
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Clay Webb. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R7.9
· Pick 223
· Nick Martin
· LB
· rank 244
They talked themselves into Nick Martin at slot 223, and the board did not agree. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
R7.21
· Pick 235
· Ollie Gordon II
· RB
· rank 168
The board fumbled Ollie Gordon II all the way to pick No. 235, and they scooped it up. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.