B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots bet the future on Nix. The board says B+.
by PatrickSiska ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
Start where it matters. The Patriots took Bo Nix to run the offense for the next decade, and every other decision this weekend bends around that one. No fireworks, but a solid B+.
The Hunt pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at interior defensive lineman and safety. A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want. Landing Wilson that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the interior defensive lineman spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get the arm they will build around at fair value. A real need, handled.
By-the-book stuff, Tyler Guyton at Round 2, Pick 2 squarely in line with his ranking. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
No edge and no loss on Patrick Paul in pick 46; it is a wash and a sensible one. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Kris Jenkins slid further than he should have, and the 59th pick is lovely value for the edge rusher. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Johnny Wilson in the 68th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Payton Wilson at slot 82 is money in the bank, a linebacker taken below his worth. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They jumped the gun on Mason McCormick, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They paid sticker price for Khyree Jackson in pick No. 104, and that is fine. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A want over a need in the 136th overall pick: Jalyx Hunt adds a S-EDGE while interior defensive lineman and safety keeps waiting.
A reach for Isaiah Davis in slot 182; a little patience would have been rewarded. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A tidy bit of business in pick 229, where Jared Wiley graded well above the range. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They took J.J. Weaver at par in the 245th pick, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.