A
New England Patriots
Maye is the plan now, and the Patriots grade out a A.
by Brop9404 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 6 steals
· 6 reaches
You can hear the double-takes from here. The Patriots took Jawhar Jordan at Round 6, Pick 41, roughly 84 spots before his name belonged. It holds up to a second look, which is why it earns the A.
Drake Maye is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Mims. They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast.
It is not that Jackson is a bad player; it is that the Patriots had louder needs to answer first. They punted on interior defensive lineman, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
In the end it comes back to Drake Maye, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 5th overall pick they get a passer to set the clock by at fair value. A real need, handled.
In No. 9 they get a true top target. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They robbed the room for JC Latham here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It fills a real need, too.
Somehow Xavier Legette was still sitting there in Round 2, Pick 9, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They barely believed it either: Amarius Mims still on the board at pick 55. A need, and now a little less of one.
You do not let a cornerback like T.J. Tampa reach slot 67 and blink. They did not. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Taking Troy Fautanu in the Round 3 slot is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Ja'Lynn Polk at the 73rd overall pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A real head-scratcher, Cade Stover in slot 87 is miles ahead of his ranking. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A wild overpay on Beaux Limmer in pick 94, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They bypassed pressing needs at interior defensive lineman and safety to take Khyree Jackson, a cornerback that was not the priority.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Dylan Laube. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
By-the-book stuff, Payton Wilson at pick No. 141 squarely in line with his ranking. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A premium they did not need to pay, JT Daniels a notch or two before his time. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They reached into another round for Kaimon Rucker, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached a country mile for Jawhar Jordan at the Round 6 slot, and the board is aghast. The roster fit checks out.
Steal is underselling it; Oronde Gadsden II at slot 224 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.