B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots found their guy under center in McCarthy: B+.
by Lewi ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Patriots spent their marquee pick on J.J. McCarthy, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. It nets out to a B+, which feels about right.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Suamataia. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They are betting McClellan proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 22nd overall pick they get a long-term answer under center at fair value.
Adonai Mitchell in slot 34 lands just on the right side of the ledger. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Graham Barton in pick No. 47 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It fills a real need, too.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. at the Round 2 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A slide stopped in pick 68, with Payton Wilson worth more than the price. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Kingsley Suamataia in Round 4, Pick 3 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Nothing to complain about; Luke McCaffrey went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jase McClellan a notch or two before his time. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Jha'Quan Jackson slid further than he should have, and the 193rd pick is lovely value for the wide receiver. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board fumbled Kamal Hadden all the way to pick No. 196, and they scooped it up. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
They will replay Nathaniel Watson at Round 7, Pick 11 for years; that is how good the value is. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.