D
New England Patriots
The Patriots found their guy under center in Penix Jr.: D.
by Scotty61 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
Every swap seemed to tilt away from the Patriots, and the value they bled adds up to real damage. The process wobbled, and the D is where it lands.
Everything downstream of Michael Penix Jr. depends on Michael Penix Jr., and the building knows it. They will answer for taking OLB-EDGE early while interior defensive lineman went begging.
For all the activity, interior defensive lineman went untouched, which is hard to explain. That is an offensive lineman worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, interior defensive lineman very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 11 they get a franchise quarterback at fair value.
In slot 23 they get a cornerstone up front, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
Ja'Tavion Sanders at the Round 2 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A need, and now a little less of one.
They took Devontez Walker at par in the 68th pick, which is nothing to complain about. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Somehow DJ James was still sitting there in No. 75, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson at pick No. 96. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A curious use of the 122nd overall pick. Interior defensive lineman needed the pick; an OLB-EDGE in Javon Solomon did not.
James Williams in Round 5, Pick 1 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Jamari Thrash in slot 153 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They read the board right and Dylan Laube was the payoff at pick No. 167. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Trevor Keegan in No. 180 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A edge rusher of that caliber at Round 6, Pick 18 is the definition of value, full stop. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Trey Knox in the 231st overall pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.