B+
New England Patriots
Grand theft in pick 224: the Patriots steal Williams and grade out a B+.
by Pat4082 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Patriots came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close. A dependable weekend that grades out a B+.
They banked enough surplus on Williams to cover a lot of smaller sins. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
Nothing to complain about; Troy Fautanu went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A straight-up fair deal on Brenden Rice at No. 68, value and slot in agreement. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A clean, defensible pick in the 103rd overall pick with a little surplus value in Blake Fisher. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Bucky Irving at Round 4, Pick 4. It fills a real need, too.
A reasonable price with a little left over, James Williams in the 139th pick. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No drama and no debate, Trey Knox went about where he belonged in the Round 6 slot. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Steal is underselling it; Isaiah Williams at the 224th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
You do not let a wide receiver like Jha'Quan Jackson reach No. 232 and blink. They did not. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.