B
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Milum from sliding. Grade: B.
by Abdul Carter ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
When a board-topper like Wyatt Milum slides to pick No. 238, you do not overthink it, and the Patriots did not. No fireworks, but a solid B.
A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want. The Ersery pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 4 they get juice off the edge. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Aireontae Ersery in No. 38 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Tre Harris in Round 3, Pick 5 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jahdae Barron in the Round 3 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
You do not let a tight end like Harold Fannin Jr. reach the 104th overall pick and blink. They did not. It fills a real need, too.
Ashton Jeanty at slot 143 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Taking Xavier Restrepo in pick No. 217 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Circle this one: Demetrius Knight Jr. at the 220th pick is a fall that decides a draft. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Steal is underselling it; Wyatt Milum at the 238th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A need, and now a little less of one.