B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots left with their quarterback, and a B- to match.
by Bobby MCD ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 19 picks
· 13 steals
· 1 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Patriots spent their marquee pick on Jayden Daniels, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
If Hartman pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Wallace. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 3 they get their guy under center for the next decade. A real need, handled.
Adonai Mitchell in No. 34 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. at the 68th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Jalen McMillan at the Round 4 slot is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Fair-plus on Christian Jones, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They read the board right and Tykee Smith was the payoff at pick 174. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Walter Rouse reach pick No. 193 and blink. They did not. It fills a real need, too.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Fabien Lovett in the 194th overall pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A tidy bit of business in pick 200, where Tahj Washington graded well above the range. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Cornelius Johnson at slot 204 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They talked themselves into Sam Hartman at the Round 6 slot, and the board did not agree. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They robbed the room for Johnny Dixon here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Steal is underselling it; Steele Chambers at No. 231 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Circle this one: Julian Pearl at the 233rd overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Tayvion Robinson at Round 7, Pick 17 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Evan Williams in pick No. 238, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Caedan Wallace at the 253rd pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Josh Proctor in the Round 7 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Nathan Thomas in No. 257 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.