B
New England Patriots
Grand theft in No. 220: the Patriots steal Higgins and grade out a B.
by EMANPATSFAN ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
The value of the weekend has a name and a slot: Jay Higgins, the 220th overall pick, roughly 163 picks past where he belonged. Call it a sensible B, earned the boring way.
Every board in the league had Thornton Jr. lower, and that gap is the story. The interior defensive lineman hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Edge rusher was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but interior defensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
Kelvin Banks Jr. at pick No. 4 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Circle this one: Nick Emmanwori at pick 36 is a fall that decides a draft. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jack Sawyer in No. 68 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Taking Tyler Warren in the Round 3 slot is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Dont'e Thornton Jr. this early at slot 105. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They will replay Kaleb Johnson at the 142nd pick for years; that is how good the value is. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Steal is underselling it; Jay Higgins at the 220th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They barely believed it either: Jared Wilson still on the board at Round 7, Pick 9. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
The board fumbled Raheim Sanders all the way to the 241st pick, and they scooped it up. A need, and now a little less of one.