B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots checked most of the boxes and earned a B-.
by EMANPATSFAN ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
The Patriots treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending pick No. 38 on Spencer Rattler a full 79 spots early. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Jones. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
With edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots unsolved, spending premium capital on TE-EDGE is the choice that costs them.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
By-the-book stuff, Olumuyiwa Fashanu at No. 7 squarely in line with his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jordan Morgan. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They reached into another round for Spencer Rattler, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
No edge and no loss on Ja'Lynn Polk in pick 68; it is a wash and a sensible one. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A surprising call. With edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots still to address, they spent pick No. 104 on Cade Stover, a TE-EDGE they were not short of.
They liked Dylan Laube enough to skip the value, taking him in Round 4, Pick 36. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Somehow Jarrian Jones was still sitting there in pick 182, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Frank Gore Jr. at Round 7, Pick 9 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.