B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots bet the future on Maye. The board says B-.
by swrdtfvygbhjnkml, ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Patriots watched Kamal Hadden slide 63 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
So much rides on Drake Maye that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere.
They will regret leaving interior defensive lineman for another day if the season turns on it. They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but interior defensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
Drake Maye at Round 1, Pick 3 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Taking Xavier Legette in the 68th overall pick is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They robbed the room for DJ James here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Brenden Rice in pick 118 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Matt Goncalves reach No. 137 and blink. They did not. It fills a real need, too.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Trevor Keegan in pick No. 180, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
Somehow Marcus Harris was still sitting there in the 193rd pick, and they pounced on premier edge rusher value. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Kamal Hadden in the Round 7 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.