B-
New England Patriots
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Patriots a B-.
by jgeorge21 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
Somehow the biggest item on the list survived the weekend. The Patriots never addressed edge rusher, and it is the kind of gap that lingers.
However the rest shakes out, Worthy at that price is a win they earned. Every board in the league had Wiley lower, and that gap is the story.
They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for. Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
No drama and no debate, Joe Alt went about where he belonged in slot 3. A need, and now a little less of one.
A premium they did not need to pay, J.J. McCarthy a notch or two before his time. It fills a real need, too.
The board had Xavier Worthy higher than the 68th overall pick, and the wide receiver fell to them anyway. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A reach for Tyler Davis in pick No. 104; a little patience would have been rewarded. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A quiet steal in No. 136: Johnny Wilson for less than the market said. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jared Wiley at Round 6, Pick 7 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Fair-plus on Rasheen Ali, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.