B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots worked the phones like thieves and earned a B-.
by SD ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
The Patriots clearly saw something nobody else did in Tyler Onyedim, taking him 60 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. Call it a sensible B-, earned the boring way.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. Getting Lane where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid sticker price for CJ Allen in pick 31, and that is fine. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A quiet steal in the Round 3 slot: Eli Stowers for less than the market said. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Zakee Wheatley at the 95th pick is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Ja'Kobi Lane at Round 4, Pick 25 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
DeMonte Capehart in slot 131 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Anez Cooper at No. 191 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Value with a capital V on Ephesians Prysock in pick No. 198, a genuine coup. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Dallen Bentley at the Round 6 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. The roster fit checks out.
They talked themselves into Tyler Onyedim at the 212th overall pick, and the board did not agree. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Adam Randall in the 247th pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A need, and now a little less of one.