B-
New England Patriots
Grand theft in the 68th pick: the Patriots steal Mitchell and grade out a B-.
by PatrickSiska ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Adonai Mitchell got past him. The Patriots do not have to explain a thing at pick 68. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped interior defensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up. They are betting McCarthy proves the room right and everyone else wrong. Edge rusher was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
The trenches got the money picks, top to bottom.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the interior defensive lineman spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 3rd pick they get a blindside protector. A real need, handled.
They jumped the gun on J.J. McCarthy, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Taking Adonai Mitchell in Round 3, Pick 4 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They paid sticker price for Matt Goncalves in No. 103, and that is fine. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A quiet steal in pick 139: Jalyx Hunt for less than the market said. Need-wise, a curious use of the pick.
Trey Knox in the Round 6 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A need, and now a little less of one.
Value with a capital V on Erick All in the 224th overall pick, a genuine coup. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 232 with a little surplus value in J.J. Weaver. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.