B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Smith: B-.
by Darkknightcole ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
When a board-topper like Brashard Smith slides to the 235th pick, you do not overthink it, and the Patriots did not. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
Leaving interior defensive lineman unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. Every board in the league had Ivey lower, and that gap is the story.
They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for. Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
Kelvin Banks Jr. at Round 1, Pick 3 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Isaiah Bond slid further than he should have, and the Round 2 slot is lovely value for the wide receiver. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They liked Jared Ivey enough to skip the value, taking him in the 70th overall pick. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Deontae Lawson in pick No. 80; it is a wash and a sensible one. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Luke Kandra. The roster fit checks out.
Somehow Kevin Winston Jr. was still sitting there in slot 141, and they pounced on premier safety value. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Bryce Foster at pick 221 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board fumbled Harold Perkins Jr. all the way to the 223rd pick, and they scooped it up. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Taking Brashard Smith in pick No. 235 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.