A-
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Barton from sliding. Grade: A-.
by Jasonmroll14 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 6 steals
· 2 reaches
The board owed the Patriots one, and it paid up: Lander Barton, the No. 139 name on the board, sitting there at slot 174 like a gift left on the doorstep.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
Every board in the league had Hamilton lower, and that gap is the story. The Patriots clearly valued win-now help, adding bodies who have done it before.
Bottom line, with Tyler Warren leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a red-zone target to build around. A real need, handled.
They barely believed it either: Jalon Walker still on the board at the 39th overall pick. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A straight-up fair deal on Deone Walker at slot 69, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Somehow Xavier Restrepo was still sitting there in the 85th pick, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Malachi Moore at No. 105. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Value with a capital V on Emery Jones Jr. in pick 145, a genuine coup. A need, and now a little less of one.
They will replay Lander Barton at Round 5, Pick 35 for years; that is how good the value is. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
A running back of that caliber at pick No. 193 is the definition of value, full stop. The roster fit checks out.
Ty Hamilton at No. 219 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jamon Dumas-Johnson in Round 7, Pick 4 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They jumped the gun on Jake Briningstool, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It fills a real need, too.