B-
New England Patriots
Maye is the Patriots' new face under center. Grade: B-.
by ZxnGrdnn ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 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.
That is a cornerback worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
Legette has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
Drake Maye at the 3rd pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It fills a real need, too.
In Round 1, Pick 32 they get a No. 1 receiver, a steep price for the projection. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They took Blake Fisher at par in the 68th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. The roster fit checks out.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Jermaine Burton in slot 103, plain and simple. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They will replay Josh Newton at the Round 5 slot for years; that is how good the value is. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at pick No. 180 is the definition of value, full stop. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Somehow Chau Smith-Wade was still sitting there in pick 211, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Tahj Washington in No. 215 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, JD Bertrand at Round 7, Pick 11. It adds depth where they could use a little.