B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Mondon Jr.: B+.
by Sean Romiza ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 6 steals
· 2 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Smael Mondon Jr., the No. 110 name on the board, stolen at pick No. 217. They moved the roster forward and banked a B+ for it.
The Griffith pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
Tate Ratledge at slot 69 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The roster fit checks out.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Demetrius Knight Jr. at the 77th pick. A minor itch, scratched.
Harold Fannin Jr. in Round 4, Pick 3 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They barely believed it either: Barrett Carter still on the board at pick No. 138. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Circle this one: Dylan Sampson at the 142nd overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board fumbled Tez Johnson all the way to No. 143, and they scooped it up. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Steal is underselling it; Smael Mondon Jr. at the Round 7 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They reached into another round for Aydan White, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Thor Griffith this early at the 224th pick. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.