B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots left with their quarterback, and a B+ to match.
by Sean Romiza ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Patriots spent their marquee pick on Jayden Daniels, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B+.
The Okie-Anoma pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. They banked enough surplus on Pritchett to cover a lot of smaller sins. The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend.
The interior defensive lineman hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 6 they get their guy under center for the next decade. A clean fit for the roster.
In No. 27 they get a home-run threat at receiver at a price that makes it sweeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
Nothing to complain about; Tyler Guyton went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Xavier Worthy at pick 47 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They took Patrick Paul at par in the 68th pick, which is nothing to complain about. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
No edge and no loss on Bucky Irving in Round 3, Pick 27; it is a wash and a sensible one. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 4 slot with a little surplus value in Brenden Rice. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Ben Sinnott slid further than he should have, and slot 137 is lovely value for the tight end. It fills a real need, too.
They robbed the room for Tykee Smith here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They reached a country mile for Jaylan Ford at pick No. 186, and the board is aghast. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Taking Nehemiah Pritchett in the Round 6 slot is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Eyabi Okie-Anoma well ahead of where he belonged. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.