B-
New England Patriots
Grand theft in Round 5, Pick 27: the Patriots steal Paul Jr. and grade out a B-.
by Dpilon ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 6 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Chris Paul Jr. got past him. The Patriots do not have to explain a thing at Round 5, Pick 27. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.
Reaching for Jones left real value on the table behind him. The phones were where this weekend was really won.
They punted on quarterback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
Ashton Jeanty at slot 4 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Trey Amos in the 37th pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Donovan Jackson at pick No. 38 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The roster fit checks out.
Sai'vion Jones at No. 69 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A slide stopped in the Round 3 slot, with Jalen Royals worth more than the price. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Demetrius Knight Jr. in pick 105, plain and simple. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Simeon Barrow Jr. in the 145th overall pick, miles early. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Chris Paul Jr. in Round 5, Pick 27 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
DJ Campbell in the 216th overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Shilo Sanders at slot 217 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.