B+
New England Patriots
Grand theft in pick No. 238: the Patriots steal Mafah and grade out a B+.
by Ddot76 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 8 steals
· 2 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Patriots watched Phil Mafah slide 75 picks past his grade and did not hesitate.
Every board in the league had Truss lower, and that gap is the story. The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Jordan Addison gives the group a proven body among the projects.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 19th overall pick they get a building block for the line, though they paid up to get him.
Shavon Revel Jr. at pick 36 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A minor itch, scratched.
Malaki Starks in slot 39 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Dylan Fairchild slipping to the 67th pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Taking Kaleb Johnson in the Round 3 slot is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Value with a capital V on Gunnar Helm in Round 3, Pick 20, a genuine coup. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They barely believed it either: Smael Mondon Jr. still on the board at No. 164. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Seth McLaughlin at pick No. 219 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. The roster fit checks out.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Xavier Truss well ahead of where he belonged. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board fumbled Phil Mafah all the way to pick 238, and they scooped it up. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.