B-
New England Patriots
A respectable, level-headed haul for the Patriots: B-.
by Dpilon1973 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 6 reaches
Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Dayon Hayes at Round 5, Pick 6 is 135 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
The Lawson value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
On the needs board they went 4 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but interior defensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a sticky cover corner at fair value. Need was not the driver here.
Tyler Booker in the 38th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They liked Donovan Jackson enough to skip the value, taking him in slot 69. It fills a real need, too.
They reached a country mile for Elic Ayomanor at the 77th overall pick, and the board is aghast. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Deontae Lawson at No. 104 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They reached into another round for Dayon Hayes, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Shilo Sanders well ahead of where he belonged. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They talked themselves into Jimmy Horn Jr. at No. 220, and the board did not agree. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Value said wait; Garrett Dellinger in the Round 7 slot says they were not listening. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.