B-
New England Patriots
More right than wrong for the Patriots, and a B- to prove it.
by justin ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
There is a lot to like until you notice edge rusher is still a hole. The Patriots never got to the one that mattered most. Call it a sensible B-, earned the boring way.
If Milton III pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. The Wallace steal is the beam this whole class leans on.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 11 they get a go-to option on the outside. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In slot 23 they get a building block for the line at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Cooper DeJean at Round 2, Pick 2 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Cade Stover at the 68th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Will Shipley in the Round 4 slot is fair value, right on his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Tommy Eichenberg in pick 137 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Joe Milton III at the 180th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Isaiah Williams at pick No. 193. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Somehow Caedan Wallace was still sitting there in the 231st overall pick, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. The roster fit checks out.