B
New England Patriots
Grand theft in the 220th pick: the Patriots steal Mondon Jr. and grade out a B.
by dspencer68 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 9 steals
· 0 reaches
The board owed the Patriots one, and it paid up: Smael Mondon Jr., the No. 99 name on the board, sitting there at pick 220 like a gift left on the doorstep.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. On the needs board they went 5 of 8, with wide receiver the one that mattered most. They chose more darts over a bigger single swing.
Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 4th overall pick they get a cornerstone up front. A real need, handled.
They barely believed it either: Will Johnson still on the board at No. 38. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A slide stopped in Round 3, Pick 5, with Dylan Fairchild worth more than the price. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Nothing to complain about; Jake Majors went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They robbed the room for Xavier Restrepo here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Steal is underselling it; Barrett Carter at the 128th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It adds depth where they could use a little.
The board fumbled Cam Skattebo all the way to pick 143, and they scooped it up. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jeffrey Bassa at pick No. 166 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Taking Rod Moore in slot 217 is close to grand larceny; a safety that good had no business lasting this long. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Somehow Smael Mondon Jr. was still sitting there in pick 220, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Oronde Gadsden II in No. 238 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A need, and now a little less of one.