A-
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Coker from sliding. Grade: A-.
by whodaphukmeagain ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 6 steals
· 0 reaches
If you want a masterclass in dealing, watch the Patriots, who turned every swap into a profit this weekend. A near-flawless weekend of work, and a A- to cap it.
Coker at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The Solomon pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at interior defensive lineman and running back.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
The kind of weekend a front office frames and hangs on the wall.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 15 they get protection for the quarterback. A real need, handled.
Ricky Pearsall at pick 46 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Chris Braswell in Round 3, Pick 4. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Steal is underselling it; Ja'Lynn Polk at pick No. 86 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Khyree Jackson is a better player than No. 106 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A want over a need in the Round 4 slot: Javon Solomon adds an OLB-EDGE while interior defensive lineman and running back keeps waiting.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Gabriel Murphy in pick No. 111. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Jarvis Brownlee Jr. at cornerback with interior defensive lineman and running back open.
Good price on Brenden Rice in No. 127, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Malik Mustapha at Round 5, Pick 1 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Tip Reiman slid further than he should have, and the Round 6 slot is lovely value for the tight end. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Nothing to complain about; Curtis Jacobs went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A quiet steal in the 231st pick: Joe Milton III for less than the market said. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Circle this one: Jalen Coker at slot 238 is a fall that decides a draft. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.