C+
New England Patriots
The Patriots answered their biggest question with McCarthy. Grade: C+.
by Brady ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 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.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Harden. They punted on interior defensive lineman, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
The Davis reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.
It nets out as a middle-of-the-pack haul that neither helps nor hurts much.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 11 they get a home-run threat at receiver. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
No drama and no debate, J.J. McCarthy went about where he belonged in pick No. 23. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Ladd McConkey in Round 2, Pick 2 is fair value, right on his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A slide stopped in the Round 3 slot, with Kingsley Suamataia worth more than the price. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Patrick Paul at the 72nd overall pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. The roster fit checks out.
Fair-plus on Christian Mahogany, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached a country mile for Isaiah Davis at the 137th pick, and the board is aghast. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Myles Cole this early at pick 180. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They went early on Jaylen Harrell in slot 193, and the value did not follow. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Garret Greenfield at the 231st overall pick. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A cornerback of that caliber at No. 232 is the definition of value, full stop. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Nothing to complain about; Jalen Coker went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No edge and no loss on Darius Muasau in pick 257; it is a wash and a sensible one. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.