B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots bet the future on Daniels. The board says B+.
by Brop9404 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. Jayden Daniels is the Patriots' quarterback, full stop. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B+.
The Johnson steal is the beam this whole class leans on. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
Every board in the league had Paul lower, and that gap is the story. They will answer for taking cornerback early while edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots went begging.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
No drama and no debate, Jayden Daniels went about where he belonged in pick No. 8. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Kool-Aid McKinstry is a better player than the 34th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Patrick Paul in the Round 2 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A wide receiver of that caliber at pick 68 is the definition of value, full stop. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went cornerback with Khyree Jackson while clear needs at edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots sat open.
A wild overpay on Kitan Oladapo in slot 136, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
The board had Jaheim Bell higher than No. 179, and the tight end fell to them anyway. It fills a real need, too.
They will replay Cornelius Johnson at Round 7, Pick 11 for years; that is how good the value is. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.