C+
New England Patriots
The phones sank the Patriots this weekend: C+.
by Brady ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
The Patriots went off the board in a big way for Solomon Byrd, 30 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another. A weekend of give and take that grades a C+.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. On value alone, Hadden makes the weekend a net positive.
So much rides on Brian Thomas Jr. that the real verdict is a season or two away.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 25 they get a weapon on the perimeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
Bo Nix at pick 34 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the quarterback. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jordan Morgan in the Round 2 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Kingsley Suamataia in the 66th pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They paid sticker price for Ja'Lynn Polk in slot 68, and that is fine. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A straight-up fair deal on Trey Benson at Round 3, Pick 25, value and slot in agreement. It fills a real need, too.
They took Brenden Rice at par in pick 91, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
No edge and no loss on Leonard Taylor III in the 103rd pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Maason Smith at slot 109 squarely in line with his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Theo Johnson at pick No. 124 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They went early on Michael Pratt in Round 4, Pick 26, and the value did not follow. A need, and now a little less of one.
Mohamed Kamara at the Round 4 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A reach on Mason McCormick in No. 137; the board had better options right there. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A clean, defensible pick in the 143rd overall pick with a little surplus value in Jarrian Jones. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Luke McCaffrey. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Tykee Smith slid further than he should have, and slot 169 is lovely value for the safety. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Kamal Hadden at Round 6, Pick 5 is the proof. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A reach for Curtis Jacobs in pick No. 187; a little patience would have been rewarded. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Steele Chambers in pick 193 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Frank Gore Jr. in the 226th pick is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Solomon Byrd in No. 231 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.