The Patriots spent the pick that matters most on Caleb Williams, and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape. They moved the roster forward and banked a B for it.

Every board in the league had Bell lower, and that gap is the story. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.

Getting Williams where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.

In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.