B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B+.
by kastrup ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 5 reaches
They will call it conviction in the building and a reach everywhere else: Ethan Downs, 46 picks early at pick 238.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback. Egbuka at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster.
They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 24 they get a seam-stretching tight end, and a steal at that.
A tidy bit of business in No. 38, where Emeka Egbuka graded well above the range. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Ozzy Trapilo in the 69th pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They talked themselves into Anthony Belton at slot 77, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Cam Skattebo at the 106th overall pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A need, and now a little less of one.
They reached into another round for Seth McLaughlin, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
No drama and no debate, Jordan Hancock went about where he belonged in slot 217. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid up for Cam Jackson at pick 220 when waiting would have done the job. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Ethan Downs this early at No. 238. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.