B
New England Patriots
Penix Jr. is the Patriots' new face under center. Grade: B.
by HalBeard1747 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 6 steals
· 6 reaches
The search is over. The Patriots handed the keys to Michael Penix Jr., and the whole operation now runs on his development. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
The James pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. Every board in the league had Jones lower, and that gap is the story.
For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 16 they get their guy under center for the next decade at fair value. A real need, handled.
Ladd McConkey in the 33rd overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Xavier Legette at No. 46 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Patrick Paul. It fills a real need, too.
They talked themselves into Cedric Gray at the 81st pick, and the board did not agree. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They read the board right and Cade Stover was the payoff at slot 82. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A straight-up fair deal on Brenden Rice at pick 92, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
You do not let a cornerback like DJ James reach the Round 4 slot and blink. They did not. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Renardo Green in the Round 4 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
By-the-book stuff, Mekhi Wingo at slot 108 squarely in line with his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Dylan Laube in the 180th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The roster fit checks out.
They paid up for Trente Jones at Round 6, Pick 11 when waiting would have done the job. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Michael Barrett in the 192nd overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jared Wiley a notch or two before his time. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Matthew Jones at pick No. 220 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Taking Kendall Milton in pick 231 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Zion Logue in the 246th overall pick, miles early. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.