D-
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Monangai: D-.
by bringbackbrady ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 7 steals
· 3 reaches
The Patriots lost the trade war and it was not close, handing partners the better end again and again. The math is unkind, and the D- follows.
The Webb reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. The Monangai pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 4th overall pick they get an island corner. More want than need.
Kelvin Banks Jr. at pick No. 7 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Nick Emmanwori at No. 38 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid up for Jaxson Dart at the 42nd pick when waiting would have done the job. The roster fit checks out.
They read the board right and Isaiah Bond was the payoff at Round 3, Pick 5. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They took Jared Ivey at par in the Round 3 slot, which is nothing to complain about. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Elijah Arroyo at the 92nd pick is the proof. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Tai Felton in the 105th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ajani Cornelius. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Smael Mondon Jr. in No. 121 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A minor itch, scratched.
A conviction pick on Howard Cross III at pick 145 that the board grades a round light. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A tidy little value on Donovan Edwards in Round 6, Pick 15, a step better than break-even. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Clay Webb this early at the Round 7 slot. It fills a real need, too.
Kyle Monangai in pick No. 222 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Circle this one: Theo Wease Jr. at slot 240 is a fall that decides a draft. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.