A
New England Patriots
Penix Jr. is the plan now, and the Patriots grade out a A.
by Brady ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 13 steals
· 2 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Patriots committed. Michael Penix Jr. is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline.
The Wallace pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. Reed has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. The phones were where this weekend was really won.
Leaving safety unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
Bottom line, they left the weekend a clearly better team, and they earned every bit of it.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 8th pick they get a home-run threat at receiver at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In the 22nd overall pick they get a franchise quarterback at a price that makes it sweeter.
Fair-plus on Tyler Guyton, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A need, and now a little less of one.
Ladd McConkey in pick No. 43 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They took Ja'Lynn Polk at par in pick 68, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They let Kiran Amegadjie come to them and pounced at Round 3, Pick 8. It fills a real need, too.
A slide stopped in the Round 4 slot, with MarShawn Lloyd worth more than the price. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Mekhi Wingo slid further than he should have, and No. 109 is lovely value for the interior defensive lineman. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They read the board right and DeWayne Carter was the payoff at slot 120. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Steal is underselling it; Matt Goncalves at Round 5, Pick 1 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
You do not let a cornerback like Caelen Carson reach the Round 5 slot and blink. They did not. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Somehow Isaiah Davis was still sitting there in the 180th overall pick, and they pounced on premier running back value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Xavier Thomas at pick 185 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jordan Magee in No. 187 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A minor itch, scratched.
The board fumbled Caedan Wallace all the way to pick No. 193, and they scooped it up. The roster fit checks out.
Value said wait; Eyabi Okie-Anoma in the 210th pick says they were not listening. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A running back of that caliber at the Round 7 slot is the definition of value, full stop. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Austin Reed at slot 231 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.