B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots finally solved quarterback, and it carried them to a B-.
by Sean Romiza ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
Start where it matters. The Patriots took Jayden Daniels to run the offense for the next decade, and every other decision this weekend bends around that one.
They will need Okie-Anoma to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The Simpson steal is the beam this whole class leans on.
That interior defensive lineman hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 3 they get their quarterback of the future. A real need, handled.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Olumuyiwa Fashanu reach pick 34 and blink. They did not. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Brenden Rice in Round 3, Pick 4 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Bucky Irving at the 103rd overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. The roster fit checks out.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Marist Liufau this early at slot 137. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Trevor Keegan at the 180th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A need, and now a little less of one.
Somehow Jaylin Simpson was still sitting there in the Round 6 slot, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They reached into another round for Eyabi Okie-Anoma, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.