B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Mafah: B-.
by Rocky Ricky ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Phil Mafah had no business being available in the 240th pick, and the Patriots did the only sane thing and turned in the card. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want. The Ersery reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
The back end got a real overhaul.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but interior defensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 4 they get a press-man option on the boundary. Need was not the driver here.
Aireontae Ersery at the 38th pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The roster fit checks out.
No edge and no loss on Donovan Ezeiruaku in pick 69; it is a wash and a sensible one. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid up for Ozzy Trapilo at the 77th overall pick when waiting would have done the job. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A wide receiver of that caliber at the Round 4 slot is the definition of value, full stop. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Circle this one: Tahj Brooks at Round 5, Pick 6 is a fall that decides a draft. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They barely believed it either: Oronde Gadsden II still on the board at pick No. 219. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Karene Reid in slot 222, plain and simple. A minor itch, scratched.
Phil Mafah at No. 240 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A need, and now a little less of one.