B-
New England Patriots
More right than wrong for the Patriots, and a B- to prove it.
by Todd ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 4 steals
· 4 reaches
Nobody had Patrick Payton this high, and it is not close. The Patriots reached 55 spots to get him at the 202nd overall pick. It nets out to a B-, which feels about right.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Demmings. The quarterback hole is the one line item this class does not answer. On the needs board they went 7 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 31st overall pick they get a home-run threat at receiver at a price that makes it sweeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
A.J. Haulcy slid further than he should have, and slot 63 is lovely value for the safety. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Brenen Thompson at the Round 3 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Isaiah World at the 125th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They let Justin Joly come to them and pounced at pick No. 131. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They will replay Charles Demmings at No. 171 for years; that is how good the value is. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Bobby Jamison-Travis in the 191st pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Kobe Baynes in Round 6, Pick 17 is fair value, right on his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A real head-scratcher, Patrick Payton in slot 202 is miles ahead of his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
No drama and no debate, Le'Veon Moss went about where he belonged in the 212th overall pick. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A wild overpay on Jack Pyburn in pick No. 247, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.