A-
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Fitzgerald: A-.
by evqn ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 8 steals
· 1 reaches
The Patriots did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Ryan Fitzgerald fell into slot 238. Very little went wrong, and the A- is earned.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. Every board in the league had Cornelius lower, and that gap is the story. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
It is a haul that will look even better come September.
Pick-by-Pick
Emeka Egbuka slipping to slot 38 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Tate Ratledge in No. 63. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They robbed the room for Jihaad Campbell here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They reached a country mile for Ajani Cornelius at pick 77, and the board is aghast. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Somehow Andrew Mukuba was still sitting there in the 95th pick, and they pounced on premier safety value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good price on Maxwell Hairston in Round 4, Pick 3, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Cam Skattebo in the 217th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A linebacker of that caliber at pick No. 220 is the definition of value, full stop. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A top-tier specialist at a bargain, Ryan Fitzgerald in No. 238, plain and simple. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Ollie Gordon II in pick 256 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.