A-
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Smith: A-.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 9 steals
· 5 reaches
You could see the war room lean forward. Brashard Smith at pick 238 is the sort of fall that does not happen, except it just did. The sum of the weekend is a deserved A-.
If Jones Jr. pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. 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 edge rusher.
It is a haul that will look even better come September.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 22nd pick they get an anchor for the offensive line, though the board says they badly overpaid. A real need, handled.
Circle this one: Malaki Starks at Round 2, Pick 5 is a fall that decides a draft. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 2 slot, where Emeka Egbuka graded well above the range. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Deone Walker. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Value with a capital V on Tyler Warren in pick No. 55, a genuine coup. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Somehow Jihaad Campbell was still sitting there in the 76th overall pick, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Azareye'h Thomas in slot 77 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Emery Jones Jr. well ahead of where he belonged. It fills a real need, too.
Sebastian Castro in No. 115 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jared Wilson this early at Round 5, Pick 6. The roster fit checks out.
Ollie Gordon II at the 178th overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A linebacker of that caliber at pick 217 is the definition of value, full stop. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Seth McLaughlin at the Round 7 slot is the proof. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Brashard Smith at pick No. 238 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.