B-
New England Patriots
Higgins should have been long gone. The Patriots pounced, and earned a B-.
by EMANPATSFAN ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
Somebody in the 142nd pick was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Jay Higgins, the No. 57 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
They are betting Ersery proves the room right and everyone else wrong. They punted on wide receiver, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Job largely done: edge rusher settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a lockdown presence outside at fair value.
They talked themselves into Aireontae Ersery at No. 36, and the board did not agree. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They robbed the room for Nick Emmanwori here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taking James Pearce Jr. in Round 3, Pick 19 is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Tyler Warren at the 105th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jay Higgins at slot 142 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Raheim Sanders at pick No. 220 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A need, and now a little less of one.
They will replay Jared Wilson at the 223rd pick for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
The board fumbled Jamon Dumas-Johnson all the way to the 241st pick, and they scooped it up. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.