B+
New England Patriots
Maye is the Patriots' new face under center. Grade: B+.
by ZS ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 0 steals
· 2 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Patriots spent their marquee pick on Drake Maye, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. Call it a sensible B+, earned the boring way.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They will need Johnson to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
Drake Maye in slot 5 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
In No. 27 they get a matchup problem out wide. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They paid sticker price for Keon Coleman in pick No. 34, and that is fine. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
By-the-book stuff, Patrick Paul at the 68th pick squarely in line with his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
A conviction pick on Cam Hart at pick 90 that the board grades a round light. A minor itch, scratched.
Theo Johnson in the Round 4 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They did well to land Brenden Rice in Round 4, Pick 5, just ahead of his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Ben Sinnott at the 137th overall pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.