A
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Starks fall into their laps, and walked away with a A.
by goldendraft72 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
When a board-topper like Malaki Starks slides to Round 2, Pick 27, you do not overthink it, and the Patriots did not.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. Adding Tyrique Stevenson by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.
It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
Bottom line, with Luther Burden III leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 11 they get a plug-and-play piece up front. A real need, handled.
They read the board right and Luther Burden III was the payoff at the 25th overall pick. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Colston Loveland in the Round 2 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Circle this one: Malaki Starks at pick 59 is a fall that decides a draft. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A tidy bit of business in pick No. 69, where Marcus Mbow graded well above the range. The roster fit checks out.
Azareye'h Thomas at slot 86 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Jaylin Noel in Round 3, Pick 28 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.