B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Hardy. Final grade: B+.
by patricksiska ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Daequan Hardy slide, and the Patriots were the ones holding the card at the Round 7 slot. Highway robbery. The bottom line is a respectable B+.
Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. If Johnson pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
The Malik Hooker deal gives the class an established piece to lean on. Stockpiling next year's capital is patient, if unglamorous, asset work.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 24th pick they get a long-term starter on the line. A real need, handled.
J.J. McCarthy in the 34th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It fills a real need, too.
Kingsley Suamataia at Round 2, Pick 14 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Nothing to complain about; T.J. Tampa went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A minor itch, scratched.
Taking Keon Coleman in the Round 3 slot is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A straight-up fair deal on Cade Stover at slot 82, value and slot in agreement. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Xavier Legette at No. 87 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
By-the-book stuff, Braelon Allen at pick No. 104 squarely in line with his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
A big swing on Theo Johnson at the 118th overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Johnny Wilson is a better player than slot 136 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Sione Vaki slid further than he should have, and Round 6, Pick 7 is lovely value for the safety. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Daequan Hardy at the Round 7 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
They did well to land Tip Reiman in pick 232, just ahead of his grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.