D
New England Patriots
The Patriots drew a line under the quarterback search with McCarthy: D.
by cluckern ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 0 steals
· 1 reaches
The phones were a trap the Patriots kept walking into, shipping out surplus on nearly every deal. The process wobbled, and the D is where it lands.
J.J. McCarthy is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want. They will need McCarthy to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 4 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 9 they get a building block for the line at fair value.
In the 32nd pick they get a franchise quarterback, though they paid up to get him. A clean fit for the roster.
Ladd McConkey in pick 37 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Roman Wilson at the 87th overall pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid sticker price for Sataoa Laumea in No. 121, and that is fine. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Good price on Kris Abrams-Draine in the Round 4 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A minor itch, scratched.
No drama and no debate, Jaheim Bell went about where he belonged in Round 5, Pick 3. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.