B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B+.
by Ngamache ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The trade table was a mismatch, and the Patriots were on the right end of it, hauling in a fortune in surplus value. Good, not great, and the B+ says as much.
They will need Wilson to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. The Gray pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a No. 1 receiver. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Tyler Guyton in the 34th pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Xavier Legette at Round 2, Pick 9 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Kamari Lassiter at slot 58 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It adds depth where they could use a little.
No edge and no loss on Blake Fisher in pick 68; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Johnny Wilson at the 92nd overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Roger Rosengarten at pick No. 103 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. A need, and now a little less of one.
A linebacker of that caliber at No. 137 is the definition of value, full stop. A minor itch, scratched.
Nice patience on Myles Harden, who had no business lasting to pick 180. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Joe Milton III in Round 6, Pick 18, miles early. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A slide stopped in slot 220, with Nathaniel Watson worth more than the price. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.