B+
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Lane: B+.
by SD ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Ja'Kobi Lane, the No. 94 name on the board, stolen at No. 125.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. They are betting Randall proves the room right and everyone else wrong. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 31st overall pick they get a bendy edge with upside, reach and all. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Anthony Hill Jr. at the Round 2 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Zakee Wheatley is a better player than No. 95 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Ja'Kobi Lane in pick No. 125 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A straight-up fair deal on DeMonte Capehart at Round 4, Pick 31, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Josh Cameron at the 191st pick is the proof. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A tidy little value on Dallen Bentley in slot 198, a step better than break-even. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
TJ Hall in pick 202 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Adam Randall in Round 7, Pick 31 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.