D+
New England Patriots
Quarterback settled, McCarthy in the fold, and a D+ for the Patriots.
by Brady ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
The Patriots lost the trade war and it was not close, handing partners the better end again and again.
They have staked the next five years on J.J. McCarthy, which is the only story that really matters here. They will need Harrell to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped interior defensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up. On value alone, Hopper makes the weekend a net positive.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 14 they get the face of the franchise, even if it was a touch early. A clean fit for the roster.
Ladd McConkey in Round 2, Pick 2 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Kiran Amegadjie at the Round 3 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They paid sticker price for Xavier Legette in the 68th pick, and that is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Dominick Puni. It fills a real need, too.
No drama and no debate, Brenden Rice went about where he belonged in the 100th overall pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Spencer Rattler at slot 103 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jaylin Simpson at pick No. 137 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A minor itch, scratched.
Mason McCormick at No. 150 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Dylan Laube at pick 168 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Nelson Ceaser in pick No. 170 lands just on the right side of the ledger. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A straight-up fair deal on Grayson Murphy at slot 175, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They read the board right and Kamal Hadden was the payoff at the 179th pick. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They talked themselves into Jaylen Harrell at Round 6, Pick 5, and the board did not agree. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Good price on Cornelius Johnson in the Round 6 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They did well to land Daijun Edwards in the 193rd overall pick, just ahead of his grade. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Taking Ty'Ron Hopper in slot 199 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Tanner McLachlan slipping to pick 222 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Trey Knox in the 226th pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They took Michael Barrett at par in No. 231, which is nothing to complain about. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 239 with a little surplus value in Dominique Hampton. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.