You build a draft on nights like this. Xavier Restrepo had no business being available in the 220th pick, and the Patriots did the only sane thing and turned in the card.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
The Patriots paired the rookies with proven help, Kolton Miller leading the way.
In the end, a coin-flip class: fine today, with a wide range of outcomes ahead.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.6
· Pick 6
· Travis Hunter
· CB
· rank 1
In No. 6 they get a sticky cover corner. Need was not the driver here.
R2.5
· Pick 37
· Ashton Jeanty
· RB
· rank 2
They will replay Ashton Jeanty at slot 37 for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R2.6
· Pick 38
· Walter Nolen
· DT
· rank 12
Steal is underselling it; Walter Nolen at pick No. 38 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R3.5
· Pick 69
· Wyatt Milum
· OT
· rank 13
Wyatt Milum at the 69th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R3.12
· Pick 76
· Tre Harris
· WR
· rank 26
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Tre Harris in the Round 3 slot, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R3.17
· Pick 81
· Kenneth Grant
· DT
· rank 23
They robbed the room for Kenneth Grant here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R4.3
· Pick 104
· Jalon Walker
· LB
· rank 22
The board fumbled Jalon Walker all the way to pick 104, and they scooped it up. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R4.16
· Pick 117
· Nick Emmanwori
· S
· rank 16
You do not let a safety like Nick Emmanwori reach Round 4, Pick 16 and blink. They did not. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R5.6
· Pick 143
· Josaiah Stewart
· DE-EDGE
· rank 41
Josaiah Stewart in the Round 5 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R6.3
· Pick 178
· Jahdae Barron
· CB
· rank 14
Circle this one: Jahdae Barron at Round 6, Pick 3 is a fall that decides a draft. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
R7.1
· Pick 217
· Dylan Fairchild
· OG
· rank 55
A offensive lineman of that caliber at pick 217 is the definition of value, full stop. It fills a real need, too.
R7.4
· Pick 220
· Xavier Restrepo
· WR
· rank 49
Xavier Restrepo in No. 220 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R7.30
· Pick 246
· Jake Majors
· C
· rank 91
Jake Majors in the 246th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A need, and now a little less of one.