B+
New England Patriots
Nobody dealt better than the Patriots this weekend: B+.
by Patriots way ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 0 reaches
The real work happened on the phones. The Patriots fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B+.
The Taylor-Demerson value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. The running back spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
The Davante Adams deal gives the class an established piece to lean on. Job largely done: edge rusher settled and 6 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 13 they get juice off the edge at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Troy Fautanu at the 34th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
J.J. McCarthy at slot 44 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Nothing to complain about; Mekhi Wingo went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They read the board right and Zak Zinter was the payoff at Round 4, Pick 4. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
By-the-book stuff, Luke McCaffrey at the Round 4 slot squarely in line with his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A quiet steal in the 182nd overall pick: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson for less than the market said. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Fair-plus on Josh Wallace, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.