C+
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Riley: C+.
by nmon21 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Quincy Riley got past him. The Patriots do not have to explain a thing at pick 219. The good and the questionable cancel out to a C+.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
Call it incomplete, and check back in a couple of seasons.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 8 they get a load in the middle at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Value with a capital V on Jalon Walker in the 38th pick, a genuine coup. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Tre Harris in pick No. 57. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A quiet steal in slot 69: TreVeyon Henderson for less than the market said. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Zy Alexander in pick 77 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
The board fumbled Donovan Jackson all the way to the Round 4 slot, and they scooped it up. A need, and now a little less of one.
Malachi Moore at the 145th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Taking Quincy Riley in Round 7, Pick 1 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
You do not let a wide receiver like Ricky White III reach No. 222 and blink. They did not. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They barely believed it either: Jamon Dumas-Johnson still on the board at pick 240. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.