B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Ali: B+.
by PatrickSiska ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
Somebody in pick 232 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Rasheen Ali, the No. 196 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
The Ezra Cleveland pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 11th overall pick they get a moveable chess piece at tight end at fair value. A real need, handled.
You do not let a cornerback like Cooper DeJean reach slot 34 and blink. They did not. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
J.J. McCarthy in pick 37 is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
No edge and no loss on Tyler Guyton in No. 38; it is a wash and a sensible one. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They took Xavier Worthy at par in pick No. 42, which is nothing to complain about. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Kamren Kinchens in Round 3, Pick 4, plain and simple. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Good price on Blake Fisher in the Round 4 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Steal is underselling it; Jacob Cowing at the 129th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A straight-up fair deal on Ben Sinnott at the 139th pick, value and slot in agreement. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A tidy little value on Roger Rosengarten in slot 182, a step better than break-even. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Curtis Jacobs in No. 184 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A slide stopped in Round 7, Pick 4, with Jawhar Jordan worth more than the price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Taking Rasheen Ali in the 232nd overall pick is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.