B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots bet the future on Daniels. The board says B+.
by Rob ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The Christian Jones selection is the head-turner. The Patriots reached 66 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered. They moved the roster forward and banked a B+ for it.
Everything downstream of Jayden Daniels depends on Jayden Daniels, and the building knows it. They banked enough surplus on Barton to cover a lot of smaller sins.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 8th overall pick they get their guy under center for the next decade at fair value. A real need, handled.
Brock Bowers at the Round 2 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board had cheaper options than Christian Mahogany at slot 68, and it noticed. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Graham Barton at the 104th pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A straight-up fair deal on Luke McCaffrey at pick 136, value and slot in agreement. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They talked themselves into Christian Jones at No. 142, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They reached into another round for Tyrone Tracy Jr., and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Josh Wallace in the 229th pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.