B
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Arroyo fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by Afr ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
The Patriots did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Elijah Arroyo fell into pick 240.
They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. They reloaded the coverage unit in bulk.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 4 they get a lockdown presence outside. More want than need.
Josh Simmons at pick No. 38 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Taking Walter Nolen in slot 69 is close to grand larceny; an interior defensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Steal is underselling it; Malaki Starks at the 77th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board fumbled Jihaad Campbell all the way to pick 105, and they scooped it up. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
You do not let a wide receiver like Xavier Restrepo reach No. 145 and blink. They did not. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They robbed the room for Dylan Fairchild here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Jake Majors in the Round 7 slot, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
Circle this one: Elijah Arroyo at pick No. 240 is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.