Grading all 8 picks Patriots made in 2024 NFL Draft

Patriots finish the draft with one defensive player and more help on offense

In round six, the Patriots made two late picks. With the 180th pick, they selected cornerback, Marcellas Dial, a 6'0" tall, 190 pound cornerback Marcellas Dial, a 6'0" tall, 190-poundner from South Carolina who ran a 4.46 forty at the Combine.

nfl.com says this about the likely depth or practice squad cornerback, "Man-cover cornerback with adequate size and toughness and above-average speed..."

Grade: B

Later with pick No. 193 in the sixth round acquired from Jacksonville, the Pats selected popular quarterback, Joe Milton III from Tennessee. The 6'5' tall, 235-pound Vol is the return from the Mac Jones trade. He'll fight for a backup role to Drake Maye.

Grade: B

The Pats' last pick finally delivered a tight end, Jaheim Bell, from Florida State. This is a nice pick. Bell is smaller at 6'2" tall and 241 pounds, an H-back tight end with the versatility to run the ball.

He caught 39 passes for 501 yards and three TDs for the Seminoles. Having neglected the position earlier, at least the Pats finally brought in a decent tight end at the end of the draft.

Grade: B

Final Grade

The 2024 Patriots draft is over. What began stron with quarterback Drake Maye slid downhill fast with reaches and misplaced priorities in the second and third rounds abounding. The most glaring errors were not drafting a left tackle or a young tight end until their very last pick.

On the plus side, Eliot Wolf went heavy offense throughout the draft, with seven of his eight total picks on offense. That's a nice break from the past and shows real acumen. Unfortunately, he failed to draft consensus players early on at key positions and neglected to shore up his most glaring position of need after the quarterback, offensive left tackle.

This draft should have been a springboard for a dramatic Patriots' offensive resurgence to challenge the Bills and Dolphins in 2024. It fell short. The overall grade for the 2024 draft is OK, but still an underwhelming B-.

Coupled with a lackluster free agency, the expectation is again a last-place finish for the Patriots in 2024, the only season that matters.

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