A-
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Burke: A-.
by justinjeferson ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
The Patriots did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Denzel Burke fell into pick No. 152.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
The Justin Jefferson pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns. Wide receiver is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
In the end it comes back to Josh Simmons, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 14 they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
In Round 1, Pick 24 they get a rangy last line of defense. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They took Tyler Booker at par in the 38th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Omarion Hampton slipping to the 45th pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Xavier Restrepo at the Round 3 slot is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Demetrius Knight Jr. in pick 77 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They paid sticker price for Lathan Ransom in No. 106, and that is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Denzel Burke at pick No. 152 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A minor itch, scratched.