B
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Travis. Final grade: B.
by Brop9404 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 7 steals
· 5 reaches
The board owed the Patriots one, and it paid up: Jordan Travis, the No. 136 name on the board, sitting there at the 182nd overall pick like a gift left on the doorstep. The bottom line is a respectable B.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. The Oladapo pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
The Jackson pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with edge rusher and interior defensive lineman still on the board. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Kool-Aid McKinstry in the Round 2 slot. A minor itch, scratched.
Troy Fautanu in the 36th overall pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It fills a real need, too.
The board had cheaper options than Patrick Paul at pick No. 38, and it noticed. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A clean, defensible pick in the 40th pick with a little surplus value in Xavier Legette. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Tyler Guyton at slot 41 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They jumped the gun on Jackson Powers-Johnson, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ja'Lynn Polk. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Christian Mahogany at Round 3, Pick 4 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The roster fit checks out.
A conviction pick on Spencer Rattler at slot 82 that the board grades a round light. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Khyree Jackson at cornerback with edge rusher and interior defensive lineman open.
A running back of that caliber at pick 104 is the definition of value, full stop. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Roman Wilson at the Round 4 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
You do not let a running back like Audric Estime reach pick No. 130 and blink. They did not. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They talked themselves into Kitan Oladapo at the 136th overall pick, and the board did not agree. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Taking Jordan Travis in No. 182 is close to grand larceny; a quarterback that good had no business lasting this long. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Edefuan Ulofoshio in the 184th pick, plain and simple. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Erick All slipping to pick No. 229 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.