B-
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Jones: B-.
by Patriots ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Elijah Jones had no business being available in Round 7, Pick 11, and the Patriots did the only sane thing and turned in the card. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. Reaching for Wiley left real value on the table behind him. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 7th pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front at fair value.
Amarius Mims is a better player than Round 2, Pick 2 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Xavier Legette in the Round 3 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A tidy little value on Javon Baker in slot 102, a step better than break-even. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A market-rate quarterback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Michael Pratt. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Value said wait; Jared Wiley in the 179th overall pick says they were not listening. The roster fit checks out.
You do not let a cornerback like Elijah Jones reach pick No. 231 and blink. They did not. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.