D-
New England Patriots
The Patriots found their guy under center in Maye: D-.
by WatsTB12 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 0 steals
· 1 reaches
The Patriots lost the trade war and it was not close, handing partners the better end again and again. Too much went sideways, and the D- is the honest tally.
Drake Maye is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. It is not that Stover is a bad player; it is that the Patriots had louder needs to answer first. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through interior defensive lineman.
The cost of the Smith reach is exactly the players who went right after him.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, interior defensive lineman very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 5 they get the face of the franchise. A clean fit for the roster.
A straight-up fair deal on Chop Robinson at slot 20, value and slot in agreement. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jordan Morgan at the 34th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Devontez Walker in No. 68. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Cade Stover adds a TE-EDGE and leaves interior defensive lineman, running back and other spots untouched.
A premium they did not need to pay, Tykee Smith a notch or two before his time. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.