B
New England Patriots
A passer of the future in Maye, and a B, for the Patriots.
by Melvin ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 3 steals
· 8 reaches
The tape said wait; the Patriots did not. Justin Eboigbe went at pick No. 110, a good 79 picks before the board was ready.
They have staked the next five years on Drake Maye, which is the only story that really matters here. Keegan at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped safety, which is a strange place to end up.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 4 they get the arm they will build around at fair value. A real need, handled.
In slot 27 they get a weapon on the perimeter. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Kingsley Suamataia in Round 2, Pick 5 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Circle this one: Payton Wilson at the 68th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jalyx Hunt this early at pick 90. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Christian Mahogany at the 105th pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
They reached a country mile for Justin Eboigbe at the Round 4 slot, and the board is aghast. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A straight-up fair deal on Bucky Irving at the 132nd pick, value and slot in agreement. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jalen Coker in Round 6, Pick 5, miles early. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Eric Watts well ahead of where he belonged. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Trevor Keegan in slot 189 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Carter Bradley at pick No. 191 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Myles Murphy. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Daequan Hardy at the 231st overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.