A-
New England Patriots
The Patriots fleeced the room on the phones and earned a A-.
by ZS ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
Whoever sat across the table from the Patriots should ask for a receipt. They cleaned the room out, prying loose far more value than they gave up, and it was the quiet MVP of their weekend.
They are betting Mills proves the room right and everyone else wrong. That is a tight end worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
The wide receiver spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
It is a haul that will look even better come September.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a bendy edge with upside at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Fair-plus on Tate Ratledge, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Tyler Warren at Round 3, Pick 5 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 liked Donovan Jackson enough to skip the value, taking him in pick No. 77. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Rylie Mills at the 105th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board had Cody Simon higher than No. 143, and the linebacker fell to them anyway. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.