D
New England Patriots
The Patriots bled value on every deal, hence the D.
by 0987 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 9 steals
· 1 reaches
The Patriots treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending pick 251 on Sam Hartman a full 32 spots early. Too much went sideways, and the D is the honest tally.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. Burton at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster.
Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and edge rusher is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 3rd pick they get a go-to option on the outside. The biggest hole, addressed.
The board had Amarius Mims higher than pick No. 34, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. A need, and now a little less of one.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Kingsley Suamataia in pick 68. The roster fit checks out.
You do not let a wide receiver like Jermaine Burton reach Round 3, Pick 14 and blink. They did not. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They read the board right and Kiran Amegadjie was the payoff at the Round 3 slot. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Trey Benson slid further than he should have, and No. 104 is lovely value for the running back. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They barely believed it either: Cam Hart still on the board at the 118th overall pick. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A slide stopped in the 136th pick, with Johnny Wilson worth more than the price. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Good price on Tykee Smith in pick No. 150, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A quiet steal in No. 204: Jaylan Ford for less than the market said. A minor itch, scratched.
A linebacker of that caliber at pick 236 is the definition of value, full stop. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
A real head-scratcher, Sam Hartman in slot 251 is miles ahead of his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.