B-
New England Patriots
Good, not great, for the Patriots: B-.
by Arcadiuz ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 6 steals
· 7 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Patriots watched Caleb Tiernan slide 68 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
Curry has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. Leaving interior defensive lineman unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 31 they get a plug-and-play piece up front, outstanding value to boot.
They reached into another round for Caden Curry, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Ted Hurst in the 111th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They robbed the room for Caleb Tiernan here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board had Michael Trigg higher than Round 4, Pick 31, and the tight end fell to them anyway. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They talked themselves into George Gumbs Jr. at pick No. 170, and the board did not agree. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr in No. 171 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Jeff Caldwell at the 198th overall pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Patrick Payton at pick 199 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Vincent Anthony Jr. in the Round 6 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A big swing on Latrell McCutchin Sr. at Round 6, Pick 31, well ahead of any board in the building. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A reach for Jimmy Rolder in the Round 7 slot; a little patience would have been rewarded. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Robert Spears-Jennings at slot 247 is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Riley Nowakowski at the 257th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.