B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Shough. Final grade: B+.
by Best GM ever ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Patriots were there to profit. Tyler Shough, the No. 153 name on the board, should have been long gone before No. 219.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. Reaching for Tuten left real value on the table behind him. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 15th pick they get a sticky cover corner. Need was not the driver here.
Kenneth Grant at the Round 2 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Aireontae Ersery at Round 2, Pick 13 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They talked themselves into Bhayshul Tuten at slot 145, and the board did not agree. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Circle this one: Tyler Shough at the 219th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
You do not let a cornerback like Quincy Riley reach pick No. 222 and blink. They did not. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Value said wait; Torricelli Simpkins III in pick 234 says they were not listening. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Roc Taylor at No. 240 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.