Somebody in No. 122 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Tre Harris, the No. 44 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. They will regret leaving interior defensive lineman for another day if the season turns on it.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but interior defensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.7
· Pick 7
· Will Campbell
· OT
· rank 6
In the 7th overall pick they get a long-term starter on the line at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
R1.26
· Pick 26
· Malaki Starks
· S
· rank 16
In No. 26 they get a rangy last line of defense, and a steal at that. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R2.2
· Pick 34
· Travis Hunter
· CB
· rank 3
Travis Hunter at slot 34 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R2.7
· Pick 39
· Colston Loveland
· TE
· rank 19
You do not let a tight end like Colston Loveland reach pick No. 39 and blink. They did not. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R2.27
· Pick 59
· Quinshon Judkins
· RB
· rank 25
The board fumbled Quinshon Judkins all the way to the Round 2 slot, and they scooped it up. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R2.28
· Pick 60
· Emery Jones
· OT
· rank 33
Emery Jones at Round 2, Pick 28 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R2.29
· Pick 61
· Tyler Booker
· OG
· rank 34
They barely believed it either: Tyler Booker still on the board at the 61st pick. The roster fit checks out.
R3.28
· Pick 92
· Ashton Gillotte
· DL-EDGE
· rank 46
A edge rusher of that caliber at pick 92 is the definition of value, full stop. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R3.29
· Pick 93
· Mitchell Evans
· TE
· rank 66
They will replay Mitchell Evans at the 93rd pick for years; that is how good the value is. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R4.26
· Pick 122
· Tre Harris
· WR
· rank 44
Taking Tre Harris in the 122nd overall pick is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R5.2
· Pick 130
· Aireontae Ersery
· OT
· rank 129
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Aireontae Ersery. A need, and now a little less of one.