C-
New England Patriots
The Patriots bled value on every deal, hence the C-.
by Brady ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 25 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
Boards are made to be trusted, and the Patriots shredded theirs for Jordan Travis. He came off 36 spots early, and the room will hear about it. The final tally is a middling C-.
However the rest shakes out, Dixon at that price is a win they earned. The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. The Patriots indulged a want in Smith while a need in edge rusher stayed open.
They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
It grades out a shrug today, with plenty of room to move either way.
Pick-by-Pick
Good price on Bo Nix in Round 2, Pick 2, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Keon Coleman at the 41st pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A straight-up fair deal on Kingsley Suamataia at pick No. 50, value and slot in agreement. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
No edge and no loss on Xavier Legette in slot 67; it is a wash and a sensible one. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tidy little value on Kiran Amegadjie in the Round 3 slot, a step better than break-even. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Christian Mahogany in pick 98 is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No drama and no debate, Matt Goncalves went about where he belonged in the Round 3 slot. It fills a real need, too.
A real head-scratcher, Tyler Davis in Round 4, Pick 2 is miles ahead of his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Braelon Allen in pick No. 112 lands just on the right side of the ledger. The roster fit checks out.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose DT-EDGE. Maason Smith in pick 113 leaves edge rusher for later.
Nothing to complain about; Josh Newton went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Jordan Travis at the 137th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A need, and now a little less of one.
A quiet steal in slot 139: Johnny Wilson for less than the market said. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board fumbled Nehemiah Pritchett all the way to the 161st pick, and they scooped it up. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They took Javion Cohen at par in the 171st pick, which is nothing to complain about. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
By-the-book stuff, Malik Mustapha at the 172nd overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Cornelius Johnson in Round 6, Pick 4 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Daijun Edwards. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They paid sticker price for Justin Rogers in slot 193, and that is fine. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They read the board right and Jared Wiley was the payoff at pick No. 218. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
JD Bertrand at pick 222 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A minor need, but a need all the same.
You do not let a cornerback like Johnny Dixon reach No. 223 and blink. They did not. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Frank Gore Jr. at pick No. 231 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the running back. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Josh Proctor is a better player than Round 7, Pick 36 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jalen Coker in the Round 7 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.