B-
New England Patriots
Larceny in Round 7, Pick 1 lands the Patriots a B-, Gordon II and all.
by kastrup ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
Call it larceny. Ollie Gordon II sat on the board until the 217th pick, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
The Thornton Jr. pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 4 they get a cornerstone up front. A real need, handled.
They robbed the room for Mykel Williams here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Elic Ayomanor at the 69th pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Bradyn Swinson at pick No. 77 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A straight-up fair deal on Cam Skattebo at slot 106, value and slot in agreement. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A big swing on Dont'e Thornton Jr. at No. 144, well ahead of any board in the building. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Steal is underselling it; Ollie Gordon II at the 217th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jordan Hancock at Round 7, Pick 4 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A wild overpay on Hayden Conner in the 238th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It fills a real need, too.