A-
New England Patriots
Grand theft in Round 5, Pick 26: the Patriots steal Belton and grade out a A-.
by Milton ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 7 steals
· 2 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Anthony Belton slide, and the Patriots were the ones holding the card at the 165th pick. Highway robbery. Add it all up and it grades out a clean A-.
A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want. The veteran additions, Amik Robertson chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not. The dealing nudged the ledger their way without much fuss.
Few war rooms will sleep better than this one tonight.
Pick-by-Pick
A tidy bit of business in slot 31, where Tyler Warren graded well above the range. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Aireontae Ersery at No. 38 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A tidy little value on Marcus Mbow in Round 2, Pick 26, a step better than break-even. The roster fit checks out.
Isaiah Bond slipping to the 66th pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Tate Ratledge in the 77th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Denzel Burke at pick 94 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Cam Skattebo at the Round 4 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Joshua Farmer at pick No. 145 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Anthony Belton reach No. 165 and blink. They did not. A need, and now a little less of one.
They barely believed it either: Jonah Monheim still on the board at the Round 5 slot. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board fumbled Jaylen Reed all the way to pick 219, and they scooped it up. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They will replay Karene Reid at the 222nd overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Jake Briningstool in pick No. 240 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.