The trade table was where it all came apart. The Patriots shipped out far more than they hauled back, and no amount of spin dresses up the bill. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Tuten. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
The hoard sets up next April more than it helps this September. The offense got the lion's share of the attention.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.27
· Pick 27
· Tetairoa McMillan
· WR
· rank 10
A tidy bit of business in the 27th overall pick, where Tetairoa McMillan graded well above the range. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R2.6
· Pick 38
· Josh Conerly Jr.
· OT
· rank 36
Josh Conerly Jr. at slot 38 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R2.13
· Pick 45
· Tyleik Williams
· DT
· rank 40
They did well to land Tyleik Williams in the Round 2 slot, just ahead of his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R3.5
· Pick 69
· Jayden Higgins
· WR
· rank 68
A straight-up fair deal on Jayden Higgins at Round 3, Pick 5, value and slot in agreement. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R3.13
· Pick 77
· Tate Ratledge
· OG
· rank 70
Tate Ratledge at pick 77 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A need, and now a little less of one.
R4.4
· Pick 106
· Andrew Mukuba
· S
· rank 83
Andrew Mukuba at No. 106 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R5.6
· Pick 144
· Mitchell Evans
· TE
· rank 143
They paid sticker price for Mitchell Evans in the 144th pick, and that is fine. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R5.38
· Pick 176
· Bhayshul Tuten
· RB
· rank 152
They barely believed it either: Bhayshul Tuten still on the board at No. 176. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R7.1
· Pick 217
· Simeon Barrow Jr.
· DL
· rank 218
By-the-book stuff, Simeon Barrow Jr. at Round 7, Pick 1 squarely in line with his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R7.16
· Pick 232
· Jamon Dumas-Johnson
· LB
· rank 228
Jamon Dumas-Johnson in slot 232 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A minor itch, scratched.
R7.22
· Pick 238
· CJ Dippre
· TE
· rank 241
They took CJ Dippre at par in the Round 7 slot, which is nothing to complain about. It patches a soft spot without any drama.