B
New England Patriots
A passer of the future in McCarthy, and a B, for the Patriots.
by Brady ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 3 steals
· 7 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Patriots spent the 231st overall pick on Devin Leary, a name the board had a full 76 spots lower.
Everything downstream of J.J. McCarthy depends on J.J. McCarthy, and the building knows it. Landing Dixon that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
A whole weekend of picks and safety is somehow still a want. It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but safety.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 25 they get the arm they will build around. A clean fit for the roster.
Jordan Morgan in the 34th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The roster fit checks out.
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Darius Robinson. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Roman Wilson at pick No. 49 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Kingsley Suamataia at Round 2, Pick 26 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Xavier Legette in No. 68 is fair value, right on his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A reach on Dominick Puni in pick 80; the board had better options right there. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Brenden Rice at the 83rd pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Mekhi Wingo in Round 4, Pick 6; it is a wash and a sensible one. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Justin Eboigbe in slot 137 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A tidy bit of business in the 153rd overall pick, where Kalen King graded well above the range. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Trente Jones at pick No. 180 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They talked themselves into Frank Gore Jr. at No. 193, and the board did not agree. A need, and now a little less of one.
Somehow Johnny Dixon was still sitting there in the Round 6 slot, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Steele Chambers in pick No. 219, plain and simple. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Jalen Coker at slot 227 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Devin Leary. It fills a real need, too.