B
New England Patriots
Best value of the weekend goes to the Patriots for Higgins: B.
by patsfirst ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 9 steals
· 2 reaches
Somebody in the 217th pick was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Jay Higgins, the No. 119 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. They moved the roster forward and banked a B for it.
They will need Nash to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 19 they get a workhorse for the backfield, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
They took Matthew Golden at par in the 38th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Taking Tate Ratledge in pick No. 55 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Jack Nelson in the Round 4 slot is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They barely believed it either: Maxwell Hairston still on the board at the 134th pick. A minor itch, scratched.
The board fumbled Cam Skattebo all the way to Round 5, Pick 6, and they scooped it up. It fills a real need, too.
They will replay Joshua Gray at slot 188 for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Nick Nash at No. 197 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Jay Higgins in the 217th pick, plain and simple. A minor need, but a need all the same.
DJ Campbell at pick No. 219 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A need, and now a little less of one.
Upton Stout in slot 220 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jake Briningstool at pick 238 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.