B-
New England Patriots
Grand theft in pick No. 67: the Patriots steal Winston Jr. and grade out a B-.
by 2024 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Patriots watched Kevin Winston Jr. slide 30 picks past his grade and did not hesitate.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a wrecking ball inside. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A clean, defensible pick in No. 35 with a little surplus value in Ollie Gordon II. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A reach for Bryson Nesbit in pick 44; a little patience would have been rewarded. The roster fit checks out.
Kevin Winston Jr. at pick No. 67 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Steal is underselling it; Collin Oliver at the 131st overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
The board had cheaper options than Keaten Wade at slot 195, and it noticed. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A slide stopped in Round 7, Pick 29, with Nic Anderson worth more than the price. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.