B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots drew a line under the quarterback search with Penix Jr.: B-.
by playitsafe ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
Call it larceny. Chau Smith-Wade sat on the board until the Round 7 slot, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice.
Michael Penix Jr. gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. They punted on interior defensive lineman, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 30 they get the arm they will build around, and a steal at that. A clean fit for the roster.
Troy Franklin at the 34th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Junior Colson at pick No. 75 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Christian Mahogany at the 103rd pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They did well to land Sataoa Laumea in the Round 5 slot, just ahead of his grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board fumbled Josh Newton all the way to pick 164, and they scooped it up. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They barely believed it either: Trevor Keegan still on the board at slot 180. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
James Williams at Round 6, Pick 14 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Taking Marcus Harris in the 197th overall pick is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Chau Smith-Wade in No. 231 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Cody Schrader in Round 7, Pick 30, plain and simple. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.