A-
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Wilson: A-.
by kastrup ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
When a board-topper like Jared Wilson slides to slot 144, you do not overthink it, and the Patriots did not.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up. The Ezeiruaku reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.
Bottom line, they did the job about as well as it can be done.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 24th pick they get a go-to option on the outside, outstanding value to boot. The biggest hole, addressed.
They went early on Donovan Ezeiruaku in No. 38, and the value did not follow. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, TreVeyon Henderson at Round 3, Pick 5. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Charles Grant at pick No. 77 is a conviction pick that outran the value. The roster fit checks out.
Xavier Restrepo in the 106th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jared Wilson in slot 144 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jaylen Reed at pick 217 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A reach for Cam Jackson in the Round 7 slot; a little patience would have been rewarded. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A top-tier tight end at a bargain, Luke Lachey in Round 7, Pick 22, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.