B-
New England Patriots
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Patriots a B-.
by Caveman ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 4 steals
· 4 reaches
The Dylan McMahon selection is the head-turner. The Patriots reached 62 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
Jones at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
Spending an early pick on cornerback with edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 11 they get a matchup problem out wide at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the Round 1 slot they get a cornerstone up front. A clean fit for the roster.
Quinyon Mitchell at the 34th overall pick is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Javon Bullard is a better player than Round 3, Pick 4 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A curious use of No. 103. Edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots needed the pick; a cornerback in Elijah Jones did not.
Somehow Brenden Rice was still sitting there in pick 137, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Christian Jones in the 177th pick, plain and simple. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Joe Milton III in slot 180 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The roster fit checks out.
Kendall Milton at the 193rd overall pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Dylan McMahon in Round 7, Pick 11 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It fills a real need, too.