B-
New England Patriots
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Patriots a B-.
by EB1 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The Patriots clearly saw something nobody else did in Jalen Travis, taking him 45 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.
Getting Thornton Jr. where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
Kelvin Banks Jr. at Round 1, Pick 4 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Tyler Booker in the Round 2 slot is fair value, right on his grade. The roster fit checks out.
A quiet steal in slot 69: TreVeyon Henderson for less than the market said. It fills a real need, too.
By-the-book stuff, Darien Porter at pick 77 squarely in line with his ranking. A minor need, but a need all the same.
No edge and no loss on Jared Wilson in the 106th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Oronde Gadsden II at the 144th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Taking Dont'e Thornton Jr. in slot 217 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A reach on Zeek Biggers in No. 220; the board had better options right there. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jalen Travis at pick 238 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.