B
New England Patriots
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Patriots a B.
by Kenton ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
The Patriots ran the phones like sharks, prying loose value on deal after deal until the ledger was lopsided. A dependable weekend that grades out a B.
If Milton III pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped interior defensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up.
The Carson pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. Adding Andrew Billings by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 15 they get a difference-maker at receiver at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Tyler Guyton in the Round 2 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Chop Robinson at pick 36 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Keon Coleman at the 40th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for Patrick Paul in pick No. 47, and that is fine. It fills a real need, too.
A slide stopped in slot 84, with Cooper Beebe worth more than the price. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A tidy little value on Audric Estime in the 101st pick, a step better than break-even. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Caelen Carson in Round 4, Pick 3 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A minor itch, scratched.
No edge and no loss on Nelson Ceaser in pick No. 108; it is a wash and a sensible one. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jaheim Bell at the 120th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They let Tommy Eichenberg come to them and pounced at the 136th overall pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They reached into another round for Joe Milton III, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A quiet steal in pick 182: Kitan Oladapo for less than the market said. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.