C+
New England Patriots
Grand theft in pick 180: the Patriots steal Mondon Jr. and grade out a C+.
by Phaktz ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 7 steals
· 4 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Smael Mondon Jr. got past him. The Patriots do not have to explain a thing at the Round 6 slot.
They are betting Handy proves the room right and everyone else wrong. Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.
They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
If Travis Hunter and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 2 they get a lockdown presence outside. Need was not the driver here.
Omarion Hampton at slot 38 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Kenneth Grant at the 45th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A real head-scratcher, Jack Nelson in No. 83 is miles ahead of his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
Barrett Carter slid further than he should have, and pick No. 93 is lovely value for the linebacker. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A quiet steal in the Round 4 slot: Jake Majors for less than the market said. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Sonny Styles at pick 140 is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They barely believed it either: Brashard Smith still on the board at the 166th pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
Smael Mondon Jr. in the Round 6 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A premium they did not need to pay, Bryson Nesbit a notch or two before his time. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They paid up for Xzavier Henderson at the 222nd pick when waiting would have done the job. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Stone Handy this early at the 237th overall pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.