A-
New England Patriots
Quarterback settled, McCarthy in the fold, and a A- for the Patriots.
by Lewi ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
Call it larceny. Graham Barton sat on the board until pick 103, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice. Little to argue with here, and the A- says so.
They have staked the next five years on J.J. McCarthy, which is the only story that really matters here. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
Spending an early pick on cornerback with interior defensive lineman and safety open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to. A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want.
The kind of weekend a front office frames and hangs on the wall.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 25 they get a long-term answer under center. A real need, handled.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Nate Wiggins at Round 2, Pick 2 is the proof. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Somehow Ladd McConkey was still sitting there in Round 2, Pick 21, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A want over a need in pick 68: Kool-Aid McKinstry adds a cornerback while interior defensive lineman and safety keeps waiting.
They will replay Graham Barton at the 103rd pick for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board fumbled Ben Sinnott all the way to No. 137, and they scooped it up. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Trevin Wallace at slot 180 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Jase McClellan slipping to the Round 7 slot is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A quiet steal in pick No. 231: Keith Randolph Jr. for less than the market said. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.