A
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Sanders fall into their laps, and walked away with a A.
by chizzler ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Patriots were there to profit. T.J. Sanders, the No. 44 name on the board, should have been long gone before pick 240. Very little went wrong, and the A is earned.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
It is not that Barron is a bad player; it is that the Patriots had louder needs to answer first.
Add it up and this is about as clean as a draft weekend gets.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 30th pick they get a potential shutdown corner, outstanding value to boot. More want than need.
Matthew Golden in the Round 2 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They will replay Malaki Starks at pick 69 for years; that is how good the value is. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Ashton Jeanty at pick No. 108 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A need, and now a little less of one.
They bypassed pressing needs at edge rusher, quarterback and other spots to take Jahdae Barron, a cornerback that was not the priority.
Circle this one: Armand Membou at Round 5, Pick 6 is a fall that decides a draft. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Wyatt Milum reach slot 219 and blink. They did not. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
T.J. Sanders in the 240th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.