B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Laube fall and pounced. Final grade: B-.
by EMANPATSFAN ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 4 steals
· 1 reaches
The trade table was where it all came apart. The Patriots shipped out far more than they hauled back, and no amount of spin dresses up the bill.
That Laube pick is the receipt they will wave around later. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
The Patriots indulged a want in Abrams-Draine while a need in edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots stayed open.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 25 they get a go-to option on the outside. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Ladd McConkey in the 34th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Steal is underselling it; Kool-Aid McKinstry at Round 2, Pick 9 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It adds depth where they could use a little.
No drama and no debate, Kingsley Suamataia went about where he belonged in slot 58. It fills a real need, too.
They read the board right and Payton Wilson was the payoff at No. 68. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A curious use of the Round 4 slot. Edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots needed the pick; a cornerback in Kris Abrams-Draine did not.
Jaylin Simpson at Round 5, Pick 1 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Dylan Laube at No. 180 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jared Wiley at pick No. 193 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Michael Barrett. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.