B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots checked most of the boxes and earned a B-.
by I.Q. ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 4 reaches
They will call it conviction in the building and a reach everywhere else: Will Sheppard, 192 picks early at slot 108. It does the job without flash, and the B- reflects it.
Landing Nwankpa that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
The trade work was a quiet net positive. Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 3 of 8 of the wish list covered.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 6 they get a matchup problem out wide at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jayden Higgins this early at pick 42. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A tidy bit of business in the 72nd pick, where Dylan Fairchild graded well above the range. It fills a real need, too.
Taking Jake Majors in the 86th overall pick is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Will Sheppard well ahead of where he belonged. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Value said wait; Daylen Everette in the Round 5 slot says they were not listening. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They will replay Jihaad Campbell at Round 5, Pick 32 for years; that is how good the value is. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Jared Wilson slid further than he should have, and pick 218 is lovely value for the offensive lineman. A need, and now a little less of one.
They barely believed it either: Xavier Nwankpa still on the board at No. 223. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached into another round for Jimmy Horn Jr., and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.