C+
New England Patriots
The Patriots answered their biggest question with Maye. Grade: C+.
by jgeorge21 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 5 reaches
The search is over. The Patriots handed the keys to Drake Maye, and the whole operation now runs on his development. It nets out a thoroughly average C+.
They are betting Lee proves the room right and everyone else wrong. Landing Fashanu that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
In the end, a coin-flip class: fine today, with a wide range of outcomes ahead.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 8th overall pick they get a franchise quarterback. A clean fit for the roster.
Olumuyiwa Fashanu at pick 34 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A need, and now a little less of one.
Devontez Walker in Round 3, Pick 4 is fair value, right on his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They left a pile of value on the table to take DeWayne Carter this early at slot 79. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Johnny Wilson at the Round 4 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Tommy Eichenberg at pick No. 137 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
The board had Malik Mustapha higher than No. 180, and the safety fell to them anyway. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Steal is underselling it; Dwight McGlothern at the 187th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They went early on Jared Wiley in No. 193, and the value did not follow. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A wild overpay on Matt Lee in slot 231, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It fills a real need, too.