B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the B-.
by Jelani ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 5 steals
· 7 reaches
The Patriots torched the value chart for Jimmy Horn Jr., taking him 74 spots sooner than anyone had him slotted. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
Hampton at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. Spending an early pick on linebacker with edge rusher, quarterback and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 25th overall pick they get a ballhawk on the back end at a price that makes it sweeter. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They did well to land Will Johnson in No. 36, just ahead of his grade. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They read the board right and Smael Mondon Jr. was the payoff at the Round 2 slot. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Tate Ratledge reach Round 3, Pick 4 and blink. They did not. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Omarion Hampton in slot 83, plain and simple. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They robbed the room for Tyleik Williams here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A want over a need in the 105th pick: Harold Perkins Jr. adds a linebacker while edge rusher, quarterback and other spots keeps waiting.
Parker Brailsford at pick 125 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They reached a country mile for Dont'e Thornton Jr. at Round 5, Pick 4, and the board is aghast. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Davison Igbinosun well ahead of where he belonged. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Gentry Williams. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Jimmy Horn Jr. in pick No. 224 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A reach on Garrett Dellinger in slot 241; the board had better options right there. The roster fit checks out.