B-
New England Patriots
A solid, sensible weekend for the Patriots: B-.
by BrianC ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 4 reaches
If confidence were a draft strategy, the Patriots would have aced it. Fa'alili Fa'amoe at slot 202 is 55 spots clear of where he belonged. More right than wrong, and a B- to match.
Landing Stowers that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes.
Value over need was the throughline, for better and worse.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 31 they get a bendy edge with upside, though they paid up to get him. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They jumped the gun on Elijah Sarratt, taking him earlier than his grade liked. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They barely believed it either: Eli Stowers still on the board at the 95th overall pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Value said wait; Dametrious Crownover in pick No. 125 says they were not listening. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Bishop Fitzgerald at No. 131 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A quiet steal in pick 171: Zxavian Harris for less than the market said. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Reggie Virgil in slot 191, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Dae'Quan Wright is a better player than the 198th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A real head-scratcher, Fa'alili Fa'amoe in Round 6, Pick 21 is miles ahead of his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.