A
New England Patriots
Simon should have been long gone. The Patriots pounced, and earned a A.
by tinos ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
The board owed the Patriots one, and it paid up: Cody Simon, the No. 136 name on the board, sitting there at the 217th pick like a gift left on the doorstep.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. For all the activity, interior defensive lineman went untouched, which is hard to explain. Every board in the league had Sanders lower, and that gap is the story.
Bottom line, with Mike Green leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 12 they get a bendy edge with upside. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Malaki Starks in the 38th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Tre Harris at pick No. 69 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Tate Ratledge in the 76th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
TreVeyon Henderson at No. 77 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
You do not let a linebacker like Demetrius Knight Jr. reach the Round 4 slot and blink. They did not. A minor itch, scratched.
Jake Majors in slot 143 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A linebacker of that caliber at pick 217 is the definition of value, full stop. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Bhayshul Tuten in pick 220, plain and simple. It fills a real need, too.
They reached into another round for Shilo Sanders, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.