B+
New England Patriots
A franchise passer in McCarthy headlines a B+ weekend for the Patriots.
by [email protected] ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 5 steals
· 6 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Patriots committed. J.J. McCarthy is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. It nets out to a B+, which feels about right.
The Cowing value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. The Sainristil pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at safety.
Every board in the league had McCaffrey lower, and that gap is the story. The safety hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the safety spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 13 they get a franchise quarterback, though they paid up to get him.
Brian Thomas Jr. slid further than he should have, and the Round 2 slot is lovely value for the wide receiver. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They reached a country mile for Patrick Paul at pick 41, and the board is aghast. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Kamari Lassiter in the 44th pick. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Kris Jenkins. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Adisa Isaac at slot 68 is the proof. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Mike Sainristil adds a cornerback and leaves safety untouched.
They took Christian Mahogany at par in the 95th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid sticker price for Mekhi Wingo in the 103rd pick, and that is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Luke McCaffrey in the Round 4 slot, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A wild overpay on Dylan Laube in No. 132, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It fills a real need, too.
The board had cheaper options than Dallin Holker at pick No. 137, and it noticed. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board fumbled Jacob Cowing all the way to the 180th overall pick, and they scooped it up. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They went early on Drake Nugent in Round 6, Pick 18, and the value did not follow. The roster fit checks out.
Taking Johnny Dixon in pick 223 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
JD Bertrand slipping to slot 231 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A straight-up fair deal on Sam Hartman at pick No. 255, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.