B-
New England Patriots
Grand theft in the 217th pick: the Patriots steal Paul Jr. and grade out a B-.
by Dpilon1973 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
The board owed the Patriots one, and it paid up: Chris Paul Jr., the No. 112 name on the board, sitting there at No. 217 like a gift left on the doorstep. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
Sanders has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 4 they get a lockdown presence outside at fair value. Need was not the driver here.
A reach on Aireontae Ersery in the Round 2 slot; the board had better options right there. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Nice patience on Dylan Fairchild, who had no business lasting to Round 3, Pick 5. It fills a real need, too.
They will replay Harold Fannin Jr. at the 77th pick for years; that is how good the value is. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Elic Ayomanor at the 104th overall pick is the proof. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached a country mile for Shilo Sanders at No. 143, and the board is aghast. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A linebacker of that caliber at pick 217 is the definition of value, full stop. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A big swing on Jimmy Horn Jr. at pick No. 220, well ahead of any board in the building. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Circle this one: Jack Kiser at the 238th pick is a fall that decides a draft. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.