B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B+.
by bob ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
The Patriots torched the value chart for Phillip Webb, taking him 112 spots sooner than anyone had him slotted. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B+.
On value alone, Alexander makes the weekend a net positive. They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
The Christian Darrisaw deal gives the class an established piece to lean on.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a featured back. A clean fit for the roster.
Good price on Jalen Royals in No. 69, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They did well to land Maxwell Hairston in the 77th overall pick, just ahead of his grade. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Ozzy Trapilo at pick 106 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They will replay Darius Alexander at Round 5, Pick 6 for years; that is how good the value is. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Dayon Hayes in pick No. 220 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Phillip Webb in No. 226, miles early. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Jarquez Hunter in slot 238, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Caleb Ransaw in Round 7, Pick 35 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.