A-
New England Patriots
The Patriots fleeced the room on the phones and earned a A-.
by Rap02739 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 23 picks
· 8 steals
· 7 reaches
The Patriots spent real capital to be 62 picks early on Joe Milton III, and the board is going to hold them to it. One of the weekend's best, top to bottom, and a A- to show for it.
Landing Suamataia that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. The phones were where this weekend was really won.
The Patriots indulged a want in McKinstry while a need in edge rusher and tight end stayed open. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
It is a haul that will look even better come September.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 21 they get protection for the quarterback. A clean fit for the roster.
In the 24th overall pick they get a sticky cover corner at fair value. More want than need.
A want over a need in pick 35: Kool-Aid McKinstry adds a cornerback while edge rusher and tight end keeps waiting.
They read the board right and Troy Franklin was the payoff at pick No. 41. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Nothing to complain about; Jermaine Burton went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Roman Wilson at Round 2, Pick 25. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Blake Corum in No. 68, miles early. A need, and now a little less of one.
Xavier Worthy at pick No. 87 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A quiet steal in Round 3, Pick 26: Xavier Legette for less than the market said. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They talked themselves into Mekhi Wingo at pick 91, and the board did not agree. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Kingsley Suamataia at the 92nd overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They reached into another round for Beaux Limmer, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They did well to land Brenden Rice in the Round 4 slot, just ahead of his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A reach for Christian Jones in the 123rd pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. It fills a real need, too.
Jalen McMillan in the Round 4 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
James Williams at pick No. 126 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jordan Travis at pick 137 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Joe Milton III well ahead of where he belonged. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
No edge and no loss on Ty'Ron Hopper in the 180th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They took Trente Jones at par in No. 193, which is nothing to complain about. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board had cheaper options than Josh Proctor at the 231st pick, and it noticed. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Caedan Wallace at slot 239 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Garret Greenfield in the 244th overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.