Somebody in pick No. 229 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Kamal Hadden, the No. 167 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. It does the job without flash, and the B- reflects it.
Jayden Daniels gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
The Patriots indulged a want in Sainristil while a need in edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots stayed open.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.11
· Pick 11
· Jayden Daniels
· QB
· rank 7
In No. 11 they get their quarterback of the future. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.5
· Pick 37
· Adonai Mitchell
· WR
· rank 33
Nothing to complain about; Adonai Mitchell went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R2.6
· Pick 38
· Quinyon Mitchell
· CB
· rank 19
They will replay Quinyon Mitchell at the 38th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
R2.10
· Pick 42
· Jordan Morgan
· OT
· rank 35
A clean, defensible pick in the 42nd pick with a little surplus value in Jordan Morgan. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R3.4
· Pick 68
· Edgerrin Cooper
· LB
· rank 42
Edgerrin Cooper in No. 68 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
R3.26
· Pick 89
· Xavier Worthy
· WR
· rank 56
Somehow Xavier Worthy was still sitting there in the Round 3 slot, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R3.31
· Pick 94
· Kingsley Suamataia
· OT
· rank 57
Kingsley Suamataia at slot 94 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R4.1
· Pick 101
· Mike Sainristil
· CB
· rank 66
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending Round 4, Pick 1 on Mike Sainristil with edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots unsolved.
R4.5
· Pick 105
· Patrick Paul
· OT
· rank 67
Patrick Paul in pick No. 105 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R4.25
· Pick 125
· Trey Benson
· RB
· rank 96
Trey Benson at pick 125 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A need, and now a little less of one.
R4.36
· Pick 136
· Sataoa Laumea
· OT
· rank 117
Sataoa Laumea in the Round 4 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R6.6
· Pick 181
· Tommy Eichenberg
· LB
· rank 144
Taking Tommy Eichenberg in No. 181 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
R6.7
· Pick 182
· Chau Smith-Wade
· CB
· rank 133
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Chau Smith-Wade in the 182nd overall pick, plain and simple. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
R6.9
· Pick 184
· Malik Mustapha
· S
· rank 153
Malik Mustapha at the 184th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· M.J. Devonshire
· CB
· rank 182
Steal is underselling it; M.J. Devonshire at slot 219 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
R7.3
· Pick 223
· Steele Chambers
· LB
· rank 191
Circle this one: Steele Chambers at Round 7, Pick 3 is a fall that decides a draft. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
R7.9
· Pick 229
· Kamal Hadden
· CB
· rank 167
The board fumbled Kamal Hadden all the way to pick 229, and they scooped it up. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
R7.18
· Pick 238
· Tahj Washington
· WR
· rank 192
They robbed the room for Tahj Washington here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R7.24
· Pick 244
· Emani Bailey
· RB
· rank 209
They barely believed it either: Emani Bailey still on the board at pick No. 244. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R7.36
· Pick 256
· Jordan Magee
· LB
· rank 244
Jordan Magee in No. 256 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
