A
New England Patriots
Grand theft in the 217th pick: the Patriots steal Smith and grade out a A.
by bsullivanp ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Patriots watched Brashard Smith slide 86 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. A near-flawless weekend of work, and a A to cap it.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Wide receiver is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Bottom line, they left the weekend a clearly better team, and they earned every bit of it.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 19th pick they get a No. 1 receiver, outstanding value to boot. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Tyler Warren in No. 38 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at pick No. 69 is the definition of value, full stop. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Steal is underselling it; Tre Harris at Round 3, Pick 13 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Somehow Lathan Ransom was still sitting there in the 144th overall pick, and they pounced on premier safety value. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Brashard Smith at the Round 7 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It fills a real need, too.
You do not let an interior defensive lineman like CJ West reach slot 220 and blink. They did not. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board fumbled Ricky White III all the way to pick 238, and they scooped it up. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.