C+
New England Patriots
The jury is out on the Patriots. For now, C+.
by drubaca ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
There is a lot to like until you notice edge rusher is still a hole. The Patriots never got to the one that mattered most. The final tally is a middling C+.
If Milton III pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. Getting Bertrand where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
The dealing tilted against them, just enough to notice. The offense got the lion's share of the attention.
So much rides on JC Latham that the real verdict is a season or two away.
Pick-by-Pick
JC Latham at the 11th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
In No. 23 they get a home-run threat at receiver. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
No edge and no loss on Jordan Morgan in the 34th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A straight-up fair deal on Devontez Walker at pick No. 68, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Khyree Jackson slipping to pick 103 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They paid sticker price for Ainias Smith in the Round 5 slot, and that is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached into another round for Joe Milton III, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Good price on Daijun Edwards in slot 193, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Value with a capital V on JD Bertrand in the Round 7 slot, a genuine coup. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.