C
New England Patriots
The Patriots bled value on every deal, hence the C.
by SD ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 0 steals
· 6 reaches
Some picks age like wine; Jack Kelly at No. 212 will need to, sitting 44 spots clear of his grade.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. For all the activity, quarterback went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Edge rusher was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job. It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
Call it incomplete, and check back in a couple of seasons.
Pick-by-Pick
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Zion Young. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A straight-up fair deal on Ja'Kobi Lane at No. 95, value and slot in agreement. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jack Endries at Round 4, Pick 25 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They went early on Dametrious Crownover in the Round 4 slot, and the value did not follow. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr at slot 171 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They jumped the gun on Dalton Johnson, taking him earlier than his grade liked. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jeremiah Wright this early at Round 6, Pick 17. A need, and now a little less of one.
Bobby Jamison-Travis in No. 202 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jack Kelly. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Adam Randall at the 247th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It fills a real need, too.