B+
New England Patriots
Best value of the weekend goes to the Patriots for Neal: B+.
by ZS ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 0 reaches
The board owed the Patriots one, and it paid up: Devin Neal, the No. 82 name on the board, sitting there at the Round 5 slot like a gift left on the doorstep. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B+.
A whole weekend of picks and wide receiver is somehow still a want. The dealing nudged the ledger their way without much fuss. Edge rusher is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid sticker price for Abdul Carter in Round 1, Pick 6, and that is fine. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Fair-plus on Tate Ratledge, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No drama and no debate, Tyler Warren went about where he belonged in pick 38. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Deone Walker in pick No. 69 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Darien Porter at No. 82 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Andrew Mukuba at slot 104 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
You do not let a linebacker like Barrett Carter reach the 136th overall pick and blink. They did not. It adds depth where they could use a little.
The board fumbled Cam Skattebo all the way to the Round 5 slot, and they scooped it up. The roster fit checks out.
Devin Neal at the Round 5 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.