B
New England Patriots
A passer of the future in Maye, and a B, for the Patriots.
by irishmonk ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
The search is over. The Patriots handed the keys to Drake Maye, and the whole operation now runs on his development. Call it a sensible B, earned the boring way.
That is a linebacker worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. They will regret leaving interior defensive lineman for another day if the season turns on it.
If Harrell pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 4 they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Tyler Guyton in the Round 2 slot. It fills a real need, too.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ladd McConkey. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Steal is underselling it; Edgerrin Cooper at the 71st pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Javon Baker in the 103rd overall pick. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They let Josh Newton come to them and pounced at slot 137. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Value with a capital V on Malik Mustapha in pick No. 180, a genuine coup. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid a round early for Jaylen Harrell in Round 6, Pick 18, more than the board wanted. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They read the board right and Garret Greenfield was the payoff at No. 231. A need, and now a little less of one.