B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Lawson fall and pounced. Final grade: B+.
by Shane1187 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 4 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Deontae Lawson slide, and the Patriots were the ones holding the card at No. 140. Highway robbery.
They will need Sheppard to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 9th pick they get a quarterback's worst nightmare. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Donovan Jackson this early at Round 2, Pick 6. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Kaleb Johnson in the Round 3 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Value with a capital V on Deone Walker in the 83rd overall pick, a genuine coup. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jake Majors in pick No. 105. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board had cheaper options than Sonny Styles at No. 109, and it noticed. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Deontae Lawson in pick 140 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A minor itch, scratched.
A tidy bit of business in slot 219, where DJ Campbell graded well above the range. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Thor Griffith at pick No. 222 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A real head-scratcher, Will Sheppard in No. 237 is miles ahead of his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.