B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots answered their biggest question with McCarthy. Grade: B+.
by Pruittbk ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 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. Call it a sensible B+, earned the boring way.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Richardson. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 13 they get their guy under center for the next decade, reach and all. A clean fit for the roster.
They paid sticker price for Jordan Morgan in the Round 2 slot, and that is fine. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Blake Fisher. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Christian Mahogany in Round 4, Pick 3. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Jarvis Brownlee Jr. in pick 137 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Marist Liufau in the 180th pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A minor itch, scratched.
Decamerion Richardson at pick No. 199 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Kendall Milton at the 231st overall pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
The board had cheaper options than Sam Hartman at Round 7, Pick 19, and it noticed. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.