B
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Ward. Final grade: B.
by chizzler ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 12 steals
· 0 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Cam Ward got past him. The Patriots do not have to explain a thing at the Round 7 slot.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. Leaving safety unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
The Barron pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at safety.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 23rd overall pick they get a ballhawk on the outside, outstanding value to boot. Need was not the driver here.
Abdul Carter in the Round 2 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Mason Graham in the 54th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Matthew Golden at Round 3, Pick 5 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Ashton Jeanty in No. 77, plain and simple. A need, and now a little less of one.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Jahdae Barron adds a cornerback and leaves safety untouched.
Walter Nolen at pick 105 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board fumbled Colston Loveland all the way to slot 145, and they scooped it up. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Armand Membou in the 160th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Wyatt Milum reach the 219th overall pick and blink. They did not. It fills a real need, too.
They will replay Cam Ward at No. 222 for years; that is how good the value is. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Somehow T.J. Sanders was still sitting there in the Round 7 slot, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.