They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. Drake Maye is the Patriots' quarterback, full stop. Good, not great, and the B says as much.

They will need McLachlan to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class.

The Patriots indulged a want in Hadden while a need in edge rusher, interior defensive lineman and other spots stayed open. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.

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