B
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Klein: B.
by Arcadiuz ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 8 steals
· 2 reaches
The rest of the league will want that one back. Marlin Klein tumbling to the Patriots in No. 247 is a gift they did not have to think twice about.
If Payton pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. For all the activity, quarterback went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Edge rusher is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it. Almost all the early capital went to that side of the ball.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 31st overall pick they get a difference-maker at receiver, and a steal at that. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Value with a capital V on Max Iheanachor in Round 2, Pick 31, a genuine coup. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Somehow Malachi Lawrence was still sitting there in pick No. 95, and they pounced on premier edge rusher value. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Dametrious Crownover in the 125th pick, miles early. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
By-the-book stuff, Jude Bowry at the Round 4 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Steal is underselling it; Eli Raridon at pick 171 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
DeMonte Capehart at slot 191 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
You do not let a safety like Jakobe Thomas reach No. 198 and blink. They did not. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Patrick Payton in the 202nd pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Kaleb Elarms-Orr in the 212th overall pick, plain and simple. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Marlin Klein in Round 7, Pick 31 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.