B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Higgins: B+.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 4 steals
· 10 reaches
The Patriots did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Jay Higgins fell into the 216th pick. More right than wrong, and a B+ to match.
The Nash reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 12th overall pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front, though they paid up to get him. A clean fit for the roster.
They robbed the room for Malaki Starks here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jihaad Campbell in pick 44 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They paid up for Deone Walker at No. 58 when waiting would have done the job. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
By-the-book stuff, Jalen Royals at pick No. 69 squarely in line with his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Azareye'h Thomas at Round 3, Pick 21 is a conviction pick that outran the value. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Sebastian Castro at slot 104 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Emery Jones Jr. in the Round 4 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Jared Wilson at the 143rd pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Nick Nash this early at pick No. 178. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jonah Monheim in pick 195 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It fills a real need, too.
A running back of that caliber at No. 205 is the definition of value, full stop. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Jay Higgins in Round 6, Pick 41, plain and simple. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Deion Burks well ahead of where he belonged. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Value said wait; Ben Yurosek in the 220th overall pick says they were not listening. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Garrett Dellinger at the Round 7 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The roster fit checks out.