D+
New England Patriots
The Patriots lost the trade table, and the D+ tells the story.
by Brady ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 4 steals
· 4 reaches
The Patriots spent real capital to be 92 picks early on Taulia Tagovailoa, and the board is going to hold them to it.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. They punted on interior defensive lineman, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. The Harden pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and interior defensive lineman is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 10 they get a long-term starter on the line. A real need, handled.
J.J. McCarthy in the 34th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Somehow Keon Coleman was still sitting there in Round 3, Pick 4, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They took Xavier Legette at par in the 72nd pick, which is nothing to complain about. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A premium they did not need to pay, Brenden Rice a notch or two before his time. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Cade Stover at slot 102. It fills a real need, too.
No drama and no debate, Matt Goncalves went about where he belonged in pick No. 110. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Brennan Jackson in slot 148 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Taulia Tagovailoa in the 184th overall pick, miles early. A need, and now a little less of one.
Johnny Dixon at Round 6, Pick 10 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the cornerback. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Steal is underselling it; Myles Harden at the Round 6 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
A tidy bit of business in No. 226, where Emani Bailey graded well above the range. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Nothing to complain about; Tip Reiman went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The roster fit checks out.
The board had cheaper options than Miyan Williams at the 256th pick, and it noticed. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.