B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots turned the phones into found money: B+.
by thejamiebrigham ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 1 steals
· 5 reaches
The trade table was a mismatch, and the Patriots were on the right end of it, hauling in a fortune in surplus value. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B+.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through interior defensive lineman. They are betting Henderson proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 7th overall pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front at fair value.
No edge and no loss on Ladd McConkey in Round 2, Pick 2; it is a wash and a sensible one. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They read the board right and Kool-Aid McKinstry was the payoff at the 38th pick. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Theo Johnson at pick No. 103 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They took Will Shipley at par in No. 106, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Luke McCaffrey at pick 137 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They went early on Johnny Dixon in the Round 6 slot, and the value did not follow. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Trente Jones. It fills a real need, too.
Cedric Johnson at No. 212 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
LaDarius Henderson at Round 7, Pick 11 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.