C+
New England Patriots
The Patriots bled value on every deal, hence the C+.
by I.Q. ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 4 reaches
It is the swing that defines the weekend: Will Sheppard in the 219th pick, a good 71 spots before the room expected him. It lands right in the middle: a C+, no more, no less.
Getting Henderson where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
In the end, a coin-flip class: fine today, with a wide range of outcomes ahead.
Pick-by-Pick
A straight-up fair deal on Travis Hunter at pick 2, value and slot in agreement. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
The board fumbled Malaki Starks all the way to the Round 2 slot, and they scooped it up. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Steal is underselling it; Jihaad Campbell at the 72nd overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A reach on Jake Majors in slot 83; the board had better options right there. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jack Nelson at No. 105 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The roster fit checks out.
Taking TreVeyon Henderson in pick No. 113 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.
Circle this one: Luke Kandra at pick 140 is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Will Sheppard in the 219th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They liked Shilo Sanders enough to skip the value, taking him in Round 7, Pick 8. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They robbed the room for Clay Webb here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.