A-
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Rakestraw Jr. from sliding. Grade: A-.
by PatrickSiska ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. had no business being available in the 68th pick, and the Patriots did the only sane thing and turned in the card. They executed a plan and it shows in the A-.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. The Thomas reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. It is not that Jackson is a bad player; it is that the Patriots had louder needs to answer first.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through interior defensive lineman.
Bottom line, with Jordan Morgan leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
A straight-up fair deal on Jordan Morgan at pick 27, value and slot in agreement. The roster fit checks out.
They took Adonai Mitchell at par in pick No. 34, which is nothing to complain about. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A market-rate quarterback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on J.J. McCarthy. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the Round 3 slot, plain and simple. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Good price on Gabriel Murphy in the 90th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A conviction pick on Blake Fisher at the 91st overall pick that the board grades a round light. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Khyree Jackson at cornerback with interior defensive lineman and safety open.
Ben Sinnott at Round 4, Pick 29 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It fills a real need, too.
They reached into another round for Braelon Allen, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
By-the-book stuff, Dallin Holker at the 139th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.
No drama and no debate, Isaiah Davis went about where he belonged in slot 182. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Braiden McGregor at pick 224 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Xavier Thomas at No. 232 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Eric Gentry in the 246th pick is fair value, right on his grade. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.