B-
New England Patriots
A solid, sensible weekend for the Patriots: B-.
by robbiemaynard448 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 6 steals
· 3 reaches
Nobody else had Jack Pyburn anywhere near the 247th overall pick. The Patriots did, by 40 spots, and that gap is the whole story.
The Igbinosun steal is the beam this whole class leans on. Leaving safety unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. On the needs board they went 5 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 31 they get a home-run threat at receiver, and a steal at that. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Jacob Rodriguez slipping to pick No. 63 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Davison Igbinosun is a better player than pick 95 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Kaleb Proctor at slot 125 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Max Llewellyn in the 131st pick, miles early. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Value with a capital V on Nate Boerkircher in Round 5, Pick 31, a genuine coup. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Aamil Wagner at the 191st overall pick. The roster fit checks out.
Jeff Caldwell at the Round 6 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A slide stopped in Round 6, Pick 21, with DJ Campbell worth more than the price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Dallen Bentley in pick 212 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jack Pyburn at No. 247 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.