A
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Williams. Final grade: A.
by swampthing ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 6 steals
· 0 reaches
The value of the weekend has a name and a slot: Isaiah Williams, the 232nd pick, roughly 34 picks past where he belonged. It holds up to a second look, which is why it earns the A.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through interior defensive lineman.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own. Stockpiling next year's capital is patient, if unglamorous, asset work.
Add it up and few war rooms did better this weekend, Rome Odunze and all.
Pick-by-Pick
Good price on Rome Odunze in No. 14, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A quiet steal in pick No. 34: Jordan Morgan for less than the market said. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
J.J. McCarthy at Round 2, Pick 10 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
Steal is underselling it; Jonah Elliss at the Round 3 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A clean, defensible pick in the 103rd overall pick with a little surplus value in Tykee Smith. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
You do not let a cornerback like Kris Abrams-Draine reach the 139th pick and blink. They did not. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Frank Gore Jr. slid further than he should have, and pick 182 is lovely value for the running back. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
JD Bertrand in slot 224 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They will replay Isaiah Williams at the 232nd pick for years; that is how good the value is. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.