There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Patriots started one anyway for Jaheim Oatis, 41 picks ahead of schedule. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. They left with interior defensive lineman solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.7
· Pick 7
· Will Campbell
· OT
· rank 6
In the 7th overall pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front. A real need, handled.
R1.26
· Pick 26
· Emery Jones
· OT
· rank 33
In slot 26 they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.2
· Pick 34
· Tyler Booker
· OG
· rank 34
Tyler Booker in the 34th pick is fair value, right on his grade. It fills a real need, too.
R2.7
· Pick 39
· Omarion Hampton
· RB
· rank 36
A tidy little value on Omarion Hampton in No. 39, a step better than break-even. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R2.26
· Pick 58
· Mitchell Evans
· TE
· rank 66
A premium they did not need to pay, Mitchell Evans a notch or two before his time. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R3.2
· Pick 66
· Quincy Riley
· CB
· rank 92
Quincy Riley at Round 3, Pick 2 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
R3.7
· Pick 71
· Oscar Delp
· TE
· rank 88
They paid up for Oscar Delp at Round 3, Pick 7 when waiting would have done the job. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R4.2
· Pick 98
· Aireontae Ersery
· OT
· rank 129
Aireontae Ersery in pick No. 98 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The roster fit checks out.
R5.2
· Pick 130
· Andrew Mukuba
· S
· rank 156
Andrew Mukuba at the Round 5 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R7.2
· Pick 194
· Jaheim Oatis
· DL
· rank 235
They reached a country mile for Jaheim Oatis at No. 194, and the board is aghast. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.