B-
New England Patriots
Nothing loud, just a tidy B- for the Patriots.
by bshea ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
The move everyone will second-guess came early. The Patriots reached some 28 spots for Jackson Hawes, and value like that does not grow back.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. The Emmanwori pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. Wide receiver is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a plug-and-play piece up front at fair value.
Nick Emmanwori at Round 2, Pick 6 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Nothing to complain about; Xavier Restrepo went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A straight-up fair deal on Darien Porter at No. 77, value and slot in agreement. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
By-the-book stuff, Smael Mondon Jr. at slot 105 squarely in line with his ranking. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Aeneas Peebles in pick 145 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They paid sticker price for Trevor Etienne in pick No. 219, and that is fine. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jackson Hawes at slot 222 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Mac McWilliams at the 240th overall pick. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.