B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Shough fall into their laps, and walked away with a B-.
by Pab ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Tyler Shough had no business being available in pick 217, and the Patriots did the only sane thing and turned in the card. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
Reaching for Fairchild left real value on the table behind him. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain. Wide receiver was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 4 they get a true top target, reach and all. The biggest hole, addressed.
Aireontae Ersery at the Round 2 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Gunnar Helm at the 69th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Dylan Fairchild in No. 77 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The roster fit checks out.
No drama and no debate, Jared Wilson went about where he belonged in the 106th overall pick. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Mello Dotson at pick 144 is the proof. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
The board fumbled Tyler Shough all the way to slot 217, and they scooped it up. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Somehow JJ Pegues was still sitting there in Round 7, Pick 4, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good price on LaJohntay Wester in the 238th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.