B+
New England Patriots
Quarterback settled, Maye in the fold, and a B+ for the Patriots.
by EMANPATSFAN ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 1 reaches
They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. Drake Maye is the Patriots' quarterback, full stop.
The Vidal reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. They banked enough surplus on Jones to cover a lot of smaller sins.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 5 they get a franchise quarterback. A clean fit for the roster.
Xavier Legette in No. 34 is fair value, right on his grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 2 slot with a little surplus value in Ladd McConkey. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Patrick Paul at the 68th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They did well to land Cam Hart in the 103rd pick, just ahead of his grade. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A straight-up fair deal on Jaylin Simpson at Round 5, Pick 1, value and slot in agreement. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
They took Tip Reiman at par in slot 180, which is nothing to complain about. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Kimani Vidal in pick No. 193, miles early. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Trente Jones reach pick 231 and blink. They did not. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.