B-
New England Patriots
Best value of the weekend goes to the Patriots for Brooks: B-.
by Rob ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 5 reaches
Call it larceny. Jonathon Brooks sat on the board until Round 3, Pick 4, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice. It does the job without flash, and the B- reflects it.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Every board in the league had Tracy Jr. lower, and that gap is the story. On the needs board they went 4 of 8, with wide receiver the one that mattered most.
Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 3 they get protection for the quarterback. A real need, handled.
Amarius Mims slipping to the 34th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jonathon Brooks in slot 68 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. in No. 103 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Luke McCaffrey in pick 137 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A conviction pick on Ryan Flournoy at pick No. 180 that the board grades a round light. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board had cheaper options than Kimani Vidal at the 193rd pick, and it noticed. The roster fit checks out.
Tyler Owens at the Round 7 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.