B+
New England Patriots
Nobody dealt better than the Patriots this weekend: B+.
by Rob ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 1 steals
· 5 reaches
The Patriots bet big and early on Josiah Ezirim, 102 picks ahead of the board. Bold does not always mean right. It does the job without flash, and the B+ reflects it.
That Jones pick is the receipt they will wave around later. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
The veteran additions, Bernhard Raimann chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 6th overall pick they get a true top target. The biggest hole, addressed.
J.J. McCarthy at No. 34 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Christian Mahogany at Round 3, Pick 4 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Johnny Wilson at pick 104 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Luke McCaffrey in the Round 4 slot, miles early. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Josiah Ezirim in pick No. 182 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Steal is underselling it; Elijah Jones at No. 229 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.