B
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Fleming. Final grade: B.
by patricksiska ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 9 steals
· 1 reaches
Somebody in pick 256 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Julian Fleming, the No. 216 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium.
The Mays pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the interior defensive lineman spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 8 they get a true top target at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
The board had Josh Simmons higher than slot 39, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Isaiah Bond at pick No. 41 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Domani Jackson in the 72nd overall pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They will replay Emery Jones Jr. at the Round 3 slot for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They let David Bailey come to them and pounced at pick 108. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Raheim Sanders slipping to Round 5, Pick 6 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Cooper Mays this early at the 218th pick. The roster fit checks out.
Value with a capital V on Nick Martin in the 220th pick, a genuine coup. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A quiet steal in pick No. 236: Dasan McCullough for less than the market said. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board fumbled Julian Fleming all the way to the Round 7 slot, and they scooped it up. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.