A-
New England Patriots
McCarthy is the plan now, and the Patriots grade out a A-.
by anotherone ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 10 steals
· 0 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Patriots committed. J.J. McCarthy is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. The board rewarded a patient, disciplined weekend with a A-.
The McGlothern pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class.
With interior defensive lineman unsolved, spending premium capital on cornerback is the choice that costs them. The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Trust the process, because this time the process plainly worked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 23 they get the face of the franchise. A clean fit for the roster.
A quiet steal in Round 2, Pick 2: Troy Fautanu for less than the market said. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Kool-Aid McKinstry in the 37th pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Roman Wilson at No. 47 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went cornerback with T.J. Tampa while clear needs at interior defensive lineman sat open.
Xavier Worthy is a better player than the 69th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They barely believed it either: Blake Corum still on the board at pick 105. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They robbed the room for Jonah Elliss here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Chau Smith-Wade in No. 137. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
They took Isaiah Adams at par in the Round 5 slot, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Sione Vaki in pick No. 180 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A tidy bit of business in the 181st pick, where Jaheim Bell graded well above the range. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Layden Robinson in slot 182. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Dwight McGlothern in Round 6, Pick 18 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They paid sticker price for Dominique Hampton in the 231st overall pick, and that is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.