A
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Mafah from sliding. Grade: A.
by Bradybunch1975 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 6 steals
· 2 reaches
Call it larceny. Phil Mafah sat on the board until the 217th overall pick, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it. Trapilo has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
In short, they turned a good board into a better roster, and it shows.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 14 they get a No. 1 receiver. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A quiet steal in pick 38: Colston Loveland for less than the market said. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They jumped the gun on Ozzy Trapilo, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The roster fit checks out.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jordan Burch a notch or two before his time. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jayden Higgins at pick No. 84 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A tidy little value on Jake Majors in the Round 4 slot, a step better than break-even. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Taking Malachi Moore in the 144th overall pick is close to grand larceny; a safety that good had no business lasting this long. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Circle this one: Phil Mafah at No. 217 is a fall that decides a draft. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Upton Stout in Round 7, Pick 4, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Somehow CJ West was still sitting there in No. 238, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.