B
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Smith-Wade fall into their laps, and walked away with a B.
by Lewi ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Chau Smith-Wade, the No. 175 name on the board, stolen at pick No. 213. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B.
They are betting Coker proves the room right and everyone else wrong. The safety spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. Stockpiling next year's capital is patient, if unglamorous, asset work.
Job largely done: edge rusher settled and 7 of 8 of the wish list covered.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 19 they get a wrecking ball inside. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A market-rate quarterback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Bo Nix. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
No drama and no debate, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. went about where he belonged in Round 2, Pick 5. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A reach for Ja'Lynn Polk in No. 53; a little patience would have been rewarded. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. at pick 68 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A conviction pick on Blake Corum at slot 69 that the board grades a round light. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A straight-up fair deal on Bralen Trice at the Round 3 slot, value and slot in agreement. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid sticker price for Theo Johnson in the 103rd overall pick, and that is fine. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No edge and no loss on Brenden Rice in the Round 4 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Javon Foster in slot 137 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board had Josh Newton higher than the 161st overall pick, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A clean, defensible pick in No. 180 with a little surplus value in Ty'Ron Hopper. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jalen Coker this early at pick No. 193. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Chau Smith-Wade at the 213th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Steele Chambers at pick 231 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.