B
New England Patriots
The Patriots let James fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by James B ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
Somebody in the 174th pick was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Jordan James, the No. 120 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium.
They are betting Crenshaw-Dickson proves the room right and everyone else wrong. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
Stockpiling next year's capital is patient, if unglamorous, asset work.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 4 they get a home-run threat at receiver. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
TreVeyon Henderson in pick 69 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They took Isaiah Bond at par in the 77th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They robbed the room for Savion Williams here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jared Wilson in the 144th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They will replay Jordan James at Round 5, Pick 36 for years; that is how good the value is. A need, and now a little less of one.
Oronde Gadsden II in the Round 7 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, John Williams well ahead of where he belonged. It fills a real need, too.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson in the 238th overall pick, miles early. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.