B+
New England Patriots
A passer of the future in Maye, and a B+, for the Patriots.
by Kenton ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Patriots spent their marquee pick on Drake Maye, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. No fireworks, but a solid B+.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Wiley. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. Leaving interior defensive lineman unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
The cost of the Watson reach is exactly the players who went right after him.
Good work on the whole, with interior defensive lineman the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 7 they get the arm they will build around. A clean fit for the roster.
In the 26th overall pick they get a cornerstone up front at fair value. A real need, handled.
Nothing to complain about; Troy Fautanu went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A reach on Brenden Rice in the 57th pick; the board had better options right there. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jalen McMillan at pick No. 68 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Justin Eboigbe at No. 126 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board had cheaper options than Ben Sinnott at the Round 4 slot, and it noticed. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Somehow Nehemiah Pritchett was still sitting there in pick 182, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Renardo Green at the 184th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Solomon Byrd. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Blake Watson at slot 229 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A need, and now a little less of one.
Taking Michael Wiley in No. 235 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.