B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Pierce fall into their laps, and walked away with a B-.
by Cowtipper80 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 reaches
The board owed the Patriots one, and it paid up: Hollin Pierce, the No. 118 name on the board, sitting there at pick 174 like a gift left on the doorstep. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The cost of the Phillips reach is exactly the players who went right after him.
Wide receiver was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 12 they get an anchor for the offensive line. A clean fit for the roster.
Aireontae Ersery at pick 44 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Harold Fannin Jr. is a better player than the 69th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A wide receiver of that caliber at No. 77 is the definition of value, full stop. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jordan Phillips at Round 4, Pick 4 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Steal is underselling it; Tory Horton at pick No. 145 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Jeffrey Bassa in the Round 5 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A minor itch, scratched.
Tommi Hill at the 170th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Circle this one: Hollin Pierce at the 174th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.