B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots left with their quarterback, and a B+ to match.
by Brady ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 19 picks
· 11 steals
· 5 reaches
The Patriots clearly saw something nobody else did in Devin Leary, taking him 64 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced.
Jayden Daniels gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. Getting Dixon where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck.
They punted on safety, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 11 they get their guy under center for the next decade at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
In the 23rd pick they get a difference-maker at receiver, and a steal at that. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In slot 27 they get an anchor for the offensive line. A real need, handled.
They read the board right and Brian Thomas Jr. was the payoff at Round 2, Pick 2. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Terrion Arnold in No. 35. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Nice patience on Ladd McConkey, who had no business lasting to the 50th overall pick. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A quiet steal in Round 3, Pick 2: Kingsley Suamataia for less than the market said. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Ricky Pearsall at No. 68 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Kiran Amegadjie in the 90th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Brenden Rice at pick No. 109. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached a country mile for Xavier Thomas at slot 124, and the board is aghast. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They reached into another round for Braiden McGregor, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Roger Rosengarten at the 161st overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Logan Lee in pick 171 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Marist Liufau in No. 172. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Dylan Laube at pick 186 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Value said wait; Zion Logue in slot 226 says they were not listening. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Johnny Dixon in Round 7, Pick 11 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Devin Leary in the 243rd pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The roster fit checks out.