A-
New England Patriots
The Patriots answered their biggest question with McCarthy. Grade: A-.
by patricksiska ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. J.J. McCarthy is the Patriots' quarterback, full stop. This is how you run a draft, and the A- reflects it.
The Jacobs steal is the beam this whole class leans on. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class.
A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want. The Fisher reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.
A strong weekend's work, and a rare one to find this little fault with.
Pick-by-Pick
J.J. McCarthy at slot 16 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Chop Robinson in Round 2, Pick 2. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Kingsley Suamataia at the 68th overall pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
T.J. Tampa at No. 81 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They took Braelon Allen at par in pick 102, which is nothing to complain about. It fills a real need, too.
A reach for Blake Fisher in the Round 4 slot; a little patience would have been rewarded. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They paid a round early for Jalyx Hunt in pick No. 137, more than the board wanted. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Tip Reiman. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A reach on Ryan Flournoy in the 193rd overall pick; the board had better options right there. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Somehow Curtis Jacobs was still sitting there in pick No. 231, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.