B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the B-.
by Smonze ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 0 steals
· 3 reaches
The Patriots lost the trade war and it was not close, handing partners the better end again and again. Call it a sensible B-, earned the boring way.
The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. Van Pran has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game. They went 4 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Good work on the whole, with interior defensive lineman the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 5th overall pick they get a building block for the line at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
No drama and no debate, Chop Robinson went about where he belonged in pick 34. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They reached into another round for Sedrick Van Pran, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Cooper Beebe at pick No. 103 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Darius Robinson in the Round 5 slot is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Trey Knox at the 182nd pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Xavier Restrepo at Round 7, Pick 4 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.