A-
New England Patriots
Best value of the weekend goes to the Patriots for Oladapo: A-.
by Lewi ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
Whoever sat across the table from the Patriots should ask for a receipt. They cleaned the room out, prying loose far more value than they gave up, and it was the quiet MVP of their weekend. Very little went wrong, and the A- is earned.
They banked enough surplus on Oladapo to cover a lot of smaller sins. For all the activity, interior defensive lineman went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Bottom line, with Marvin Harrison Jr. leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 7th overall pick they get a true top target. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Ladd McConkey in the 34th pick is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. at Round 2, Pick 6 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the cornerback. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Kiran Amegadjie at the Round 3 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
A tidy little value on Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in slot 71, a step better than break-even. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
The board had cheaper options than Spencer Rattler at pick 106, and it noticed. It fills a real need, too.
Nice patience on Audric Estime, who had no business lasting to No. 112. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Kalen King at Round 5, Pick 12 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Tommy Eichenberg at the Round 5 slot is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
You do not let a safety like Kitan Oladapo reach pick No. 180 and blink. They did not. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Khristian Boyd at slot 193. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Taking Tanner McLachlan in pick 231 is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. A need, and now a little less of one.