B
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Giddens fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by SKOLthune ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 reaches
Somebody in slot 241 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while DJ Giddens, the No. 168 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. Good, not great, and the B says as much.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Majors has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. Wide receiver is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
They did well to land Travis Hunter in slot 4, just ahead of his grade. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A slide stopped in the 38th overall pick, with Emeka Egbuka worth more than the price. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A tight end of that caliber at the 69th pick is the definition of value, full stop. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A conviction pick on Jake Majors at the Round 3 slot that the board grades a round light. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Andrew Mukuba at No. 105 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board fumbled Cam Skattebo all the way to pick 143, and they scooped it up. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Jack Kiser at Round 7, Pick 4 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
You do not let a running back like DJ Giddens reach pick No. 241 and blink. They did not. The roster fit checks out.