B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots left with their quarterback, and a B- to match.
by ChristopherKiley ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Patriots took Erick All a full 100 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.
So much rides on Jayden Daniels that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. Hart falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 3 they get the arm they will build around. A real need, handled.
Brian Thomas Jr. at Round 2, Pick 2 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
No drama and no debate, Kiran Amegadjie went about where he belonged in pick No. 68. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A real head-scratcher, Erick All in pick 103 is miles ahead of his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.
Steal is underselling it; Cam Hart at the 137th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Luke McCaffrey in slot 180 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Walter Rouse at slot 193 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They talked themselves into Jowon Briggs at pick No. 231, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.