B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Simpson fall into their laps, and walked away with a B-.
by PoppaShart ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Patriots were there to profit. Jaylin Simpson, the No. 151 name on the board, should have been long gone before Round 6, Pick 7. It nets out to a B-, which feels about right.
It is not that Solomon is a bad player; it is that the Patriots had louder needs to answer first. A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want. Every board in the league had McCarthy lower, and that gap is the story.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 13 they get a blindside protector at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
They paid a round early for J.J. McCarthy in Round 2, Pick 2, more than the board wanted. A need, and now a little less of one.
They read the board right and Adonai Mitchell was the payoff at pick No. 47. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
No drama and no debate, Payton Wilson went about where he belonged in pick 68. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
By-the-book stuff, Christian Haynes at the 71st pick squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A tidy bit of business in the 88th overall pick, where Cooper Beebe graded well above the range. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Bucky Irving at slot 104 is money in the bank, a running back taken below his worth. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A surprising call. With interior defensive lineman and safety still to address, they spent the Round 4 slot on Javon Solomon, an OLB-EDGE they were not short of.
They bypassed pressing needs at interior defensive lineman and safety to take Tyrice Knight, a linebacker that was not the priority.
Kris Abrams-Draine at the Round 4 slot is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A tidy little value on Daijun Edwards in No. 137, a step better than break-even. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Ben Sinnott at the 140th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
A straight-up fair deal on Ty'Ron Hopper at pick No. 147, value and slot in agreement. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They barely believed it either: Jaylin Simpson still on the board at Round 6, Pick 7. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Jha'Quan Jackson slid further than he should have, and pick 221 is lovely value for the wide receiver. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
J.J. Weaver in slot 229 is fair value, right on his grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Sheridan Jones in Round 7, Pick 12 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.