B
New England Patriots
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Patriots a B.
by patriotsfandon ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 1 steals
· 3 reaches
The Patriots bet big and early on Javontae Jean-Baptiste, 24 picks ahead of the board. Bold does not always mean right. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B.
The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. That Mustapha pick is the receipt they will wave around later.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the interior defensive lineman spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 3rd overall pick they get a weapon on the perimeter at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Nothing to complain about; Bo Nix went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Kiran Amegadjie in slot 68 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It fills a real need, too.
They liked Elijah Jones enough to skip the value, taking him in Round 4, Pick 3. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Christian Jones in pick 137 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A need, and now a little less of one.
Malik Mustapha slid further than he should have, and the 180th pick is lovely value for the safety. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They reached into another round for Javontae Jean-Baptiste, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A reach for Jordan Whittington in slot 231; a little patience would have been rewarded. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.