B+
New England Patriots
Winston Jr. should have been long gone. The Patriots pounced, and earned a B+.
by LONELYNCHILL ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
The Patriots did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Kevin Winston Jr. fell into Round 5, Pick 6.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. The cost of the Simpkins III reach is exactly the players who went right after him.
They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 4th pick they get a run-stuffing presence up front. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Luther Burden III in No. 38 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Donovan Jackson. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Denzel Burke slid further than he should have, and slot 105 is lovely value for the cornerback. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Kevin Winston Jr. at the 145th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Circle this one: Donovan Edwards at pick No. 219 is a fall that decides a draft. It fills a real need, too.
Torricelli Simpkins III in Round 7, Pick 4 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A need, and now a little less of one.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Ben Yurosek well ahead of where he belonged. It patches a soft spot without any drama.