B-
New England Patriots
McCarthy is the plan now, and the Patriots grade out a B-.
by Sean Romiza ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Patriots spent their marquee pick on J.J. McCarthy, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.
They banked enough surplus on Williams to cover a lot of smaller sins. If Okie-Anoma pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
The interior defensive lineman hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the interior defensive lineman spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 5 they get their quarterback of the future, a steep price for the projection. A real need, handled.
No edge and no loss on Xavier Legette in the 34th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Patrick Paul. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They liked Blake Corum enough to skip the value, taking him in No. 69. A need, and now a little less of one.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 103 with a little surplus value in Brenden Rice. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached into another round for Marist Liufau, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
James Williams at pick 180 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Trevor Keegan in slot 193 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached a country mile for Eyabi Okie-Anoma at slot 231, and the board is aghast. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.