B-
New England Patriots
Williams is the Patriots' new face under center. Grade: B-.
by NE4EVER ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
The search is over. The Patriots handed the keys to Caleb Williams, and the whole operation now runs on his development. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
That is a cornerback worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. They will answer for taking OLB-EDGE early while edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots went begging. They are betting Solomon proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a long-term answer under center. A real need, handled.
They did well to land Adonai Mitchell in pick No. 34, just ahead of his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good price on Kingsley Suamataia in No. 68, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They bypassed pressing needs at edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots to take Javon Solomon, an OLB-EDGE that was not the priority.
They liked Dallin Holker enough to skip the value, taking him in the 137th overall pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
You do not let a cornerback like Dwight McGlothern reach the 180th pick and blink. They did not. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A quiet steal in pick 193: Jha'Quan Jackson for less than the market said. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Evan Williams at Round 7, Pick 11 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.