B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B+.
by jgeorge21 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 0 steals
· 5 reaches
Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Patriots came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close. Good, not great, and the B+ says as much.
If Wilson pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. That safety hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
The DeMarcus Walker pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns. Edge rusher was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 9 they get a difference-maker at receiver at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They paid up for J.J. McCarthy at the 34th pick when waiting would have done the job. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They took Patrick Paul at par in Round 3, Pick 4, which is nothing to complain about. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Michael Hall Jr.. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A real head-scratcher, Johnny Wilson in No. 104 is miles ahead of his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reach on Justin Eboigbe in the Round 4 slot; the board had better options right there. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A wild overpay on Jared Wiley in pick No. 182, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Daijahn Anthony at slot 229 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.