B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Neal from sliding. Grade: B+.
by ZS ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Devin Neal, the No. 80 name on the board, stolen at the 143rd overall pick. A dependable weekend that grades out a B+.
They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it. They will need Jackson to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 12th overall pick they get a weapon on the perimeter. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Emeka Egbuka at slot 38 is the proof. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They will replay Tyler Warren at Round 2, Pick 12 for years; that is how good the value is. A need, and now a little less of one.
They paid a round early for Donovan Jackson in pick 69, more than the board wanted. The roster fit checks out.
They barely believed it either: Tate Ratledge still on the board at pick No. 76. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Deone Walker is a better player than No. 77 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Steal is underselling it; Andrew Mukuba at the Round 4 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
You do not let a running back like Devin Neal reach the 143rd pick and blink. They did not. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Somehow Chris Paul Jr. was still sitting there in the 170th overall pick, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.