B
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Mafah from sliding. Grade: B.
by johnnymac ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
The board owed the Patriots one, and it paid up: Phil Mafah, the No. 167 name on the board, sitting there at No. 219 like a gift left on the doorstep. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B.
They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. The dealing tilted against them, just enough to notice. The hoard sets up next April more than it helps this September.
They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 12th pick they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value. A real need, handled.
Walter Nolen in the Round 2 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Value with a capital V on Harold Fannin Jr. in slot 69, a genuine coup. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Jalen Royals at Round 3, Pick 12. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Fair-plus on Zy Alexander, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Steal is underselling it; Ozzy Trapilo at pick 105 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Billy Bowman Jr. at pick No. 145 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Phil Mafah in the 219th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Upton Stout in No. 222, plain and simple. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
You do not let a wide receiver like KeAndre Lambert-Smith reach slot 240 and blink. They did not. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.