C+
New England Patriots
A passer of the future in Maye, and a C+, for the Patriots.
by WatsTB12 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
The search is over. The Patriots handed the keys to Drake Maye, and the whole operation now runs on his development. Fine in stretches, shaky in others: a C+.
Spending an early pick on TE-EDGE with safety, tight end and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to. A whole weekend of picks and safety is somehow still a want. They are betting Stover proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
If Drake Maye and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 3 they get the face of the franchise at fair value. A real need, handled.
In No. 25 they get a disruptor off the edge. The biggest hole, addressed.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending slot 72 on Cade Stover with safety, tight end and other spots unsolved.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 3 slot, where Blake Corum graded well above the range. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid sticker price for Mekhi Wingo in the 104th overall pick, and that is fine. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They liked Cedric Gray enough to skip the value, taking him in pick No. 114. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Johnny Wilson is a better player than the 136th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.