B-
New England Patriots
Nothing loud, just a tidy B- for the Patriots.
by Dpilon19731973 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 3 steals
· 7 reaches
If confidence were a draft strategy, the Patriots would have aced it. Jimmy Horn Jr. at slot 143 is 155 spots clear of where he belonged. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.
Landing Campbell that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The Carter pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with interior defensive lineman and quarterback still on the board.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 4 they get a premier pass rusher, reach and all. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Tyler Booker in No. 38 is fair value, right on his grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A premium they did not need to pay, Donovan Jackson a notch or two before his time. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jihaad Campbell at pick No. 77 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A minor itch, scratched.
A surprising call. With interior defensive lineman and quarterback still to address, they spent pick 102 on Barrett Carter, a linebacker they were not short of.
They robbed the room for Quinshon Judkins here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jimmy Horn Jr. in the Round 5 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Xavier Truss. The roster fit checks out.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Luke Lachey in pick No. 215, miles early. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Shilo Sanders at the 216th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They took Jaylin Smith at par in the 220th pick, which is nothing to complain about. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They talked themselves into Will Sheppard at Round 7, Pick 22, and the board did not agree. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.