B
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Winston Jr.: B.
by bandkmcdougall ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Patriots watched Kevin Winston Jr. slide 41 picks past his grade and did not hesitate.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up. The dealing tilted against them, just enough to notice. It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
They went 7 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the quarterback spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 14 they get a building block for the line at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Tre Harris at Round 2, Pick 6 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No drama and no debate, JT Tuimoloau went about where he belonged in the Round 2 slot. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Value with a capital V on Harold Fannin Jr. in slot 69, a genuine coup. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid sticker price for Kyle Kennard in pick 77, and that is fine. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Cam Skattebo at the 105th pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Kevin Winston Jr. at pick No. 145 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They took CJ West at par in the 219th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Fair-plus on Jamon Dumas-Johnson, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A straight-up fair deal on Ty Hamilton at No. 240, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.